As in every field there is a transformation to improve the performance and satisfy
the demand of consumer, in pharmaceutical word, need of “Excipient” have been changed
from inert and cheap substance which forms bulk of formulation to a material which has
potential to be placed in formulation as it accomplished the desirable objective of treatment.
The Herbal or natural excipients have a great advantage over their synthetic analogues as these
are non-toxic, less expensive and freely available. Due to advances in drug delivery
technology, currently, excipients are included in novel dosage forms to fulfill specific
functions and in some cases, they directly or indirectly influence the extent and/or rate of drug
release and drug absorption. Recent trends towards use of plant based and natural products
demand the replacement of synthetic additives with natural ones. Today, the whole world is
increasingly interested in natural drugs and excipients, hence natural materials have many
advantages over synthetic ones as they are chemically inert, nontoxic, less expensive ,
biodegradable, improve the shelf life of the product and widely available. This article gives an
overview of natural excipients which are used in conventional dosage forms as well as novel
drug delivery systems.