Development and evaluation of a triphala-based throat spray: Physicochemical properties, stability, and pharmacological potency
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Throat sprays are widely used, act quickly, and can help relieve a sore throat from several viral or bacterial infection. There are many types of throat sprays available today, depending on different components such as chemical compounds and herbal extracts. Triphala, a herb, consists of three dried fruits: Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica, and Phyllanthus emblica. The chemical compounds in Triphala mainly consist of gallic acid, polyphenol, and tannin. These compounds have been reported to exhibit high antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects. Then, this study aimed to develop a throat spray containing Triphala extract with suitable physicochemical properties, pharmacological potency and stability. Throat sprays with Triphala extract were investigated for their physicochemical (physical characteristics, pH, spray ability, and viscosity) and pharmacological properties (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity). All formulations exhibited suitable sprayability, with pH values ranging from 3.2 to 4.2 and no significant differences observed. The formulations showed significantly higher anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities than the control. A stability study was performed over five weeks under three storage conditions. The formula containing 0.25% v/v Triphala extract exhibited suitable physicochemical and pharmacological properties. Moreover, the 0.25% v/v Triphala extract throat spray showed no precipitation under the three storage conditions, and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities did not change significantly after storage. This study demonstrated a novel, suitable Triphala extract throat spray formulation as an alternative treatment for sore throat.
Institution: Silpakorn University
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Silpakorn University
OpenAlex ID: W4417455378