Karaya gum is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as a bulk laxative.

But other properties of karaya gum are interesting for the formulation of medication: adhesive, bulking, and thickening properties.

The pharmaceutical applications of karaya gum are the most known and studied.

Karaya gum’s main application in the pharmaceutical industry is the use as an active agent: a bulk laxative. As such, karaya gum is considered an active substances in many medication for intestinal comfort or regulation of intestinal transit (in granules).

But karaya is also used as an ingredient of gastric dressings. It can also be used to formulate drugs that target to deliver their active substances in the gastro intestinal tract.

Other properties are also known: the capacity of karaya gum to provide moisture retention, to be an adhesive compound (for colostomy rings and dental adhesives), a bulking agent, a thickening agent and a viscosity control agent.