Formulation and Evaluation of Red Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Leaf Antidiabetic Capsules

Abstract

Red sweet potato, or Ipomoea batatas L (IBL), has the potential to be developed as a herbal medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. Capsules were chosen for the formulation of IBL. The finished products are required to undergo a series of test in accordance with compendial standards and regulatory requirements for single-dose capsule products. To meet the quality and safety requirements of traditional medicines, efforts are needed to obtain an optimal capsule formula that ensures quality and safety. Mg stearate as a lubricant can be used to improve the flow properties of granules. The aims of this study are to formulate IBL into capsule dosage form and determine the influence of mg stearate in the formulation of IBL capsules. Two formulations were made using dry extract of IBL leaf (F1) and dry extract of IBL leaves  with the addition of magnesium stearate (F2). The next stage was to evaluate the capsules with flowability parameters, including compressibility, weight uniformity and disintegration time. The next stage was to evaluate the capsules with several parameters, namely weight uniformity and disintegration time. The results obtained show that the F1and F2 capsule have met the quality and safety requirements set for traditional medicine preparations according to the quality and safety requirements of traditional medicine Compared to the formula without magnesium stearate (F1), the formula with magnesium stearate (F2) had a better compressibility index, which improved flowability, more uniformity of weight, and a longer disintegration time. However, there was no significant difference between the two formulas.