Tragacanth Gum Powder 200g

What is tragacanth Gum?
The name "tragacanth" comes from the appearance of the exuded gum, which tends to form ribbons similar in appearance to a goat horn (from the Greek "tragos" meaning goat and "akantha" meaning horn).

Tragacanth gum is a water-soluble carbohydrate gum containing the polysaccharides tragacanthin and bassorin.  Its superior water absorbing qualities make it an excellent thickening agent. Due to its cost and supply issues guar gum and LGB have replaced the majority of its uses.

The gum is air-hardened, gummy exudate, flowing naturally or obtained by incision from the trunk and branches of Astragalus gummifer Labill, and certain other species of Astragalus from Western Asia. The gummy sap is not a polyterpene like the chicle used in chewing gums. It is a water-soluble carbohydrate gum containing the polysaccharides tragacanthin and bassorin.

How is Tragacanth gum used?
Pharmaceutical uses include an adhesive agent for pills and tablets, and for emulsifying oil droplets in lotions, creams and pastes. Its superior water absorbing qualities make it an excellent thickening agent. Gum tragacanth is used in many everyday commercial products including cosmetics, Oil and flavour emulsions, Ice crystal control in frozen desserts, toothpaste, jellies and even viscosity control and emulsification in salad dressings.

Medicinal history.
Tragacanth has a history of being used as a demulcent, but owing to its incomplete solubility is not often used internally. It is much used for the suspension of heavy, insoluble powders to impart consistence to lozenges, being superior to gum arabic, also in making emulsions (mucilago). Mucilage of Tragacanth has been used as an application to burns.