Gardening Blog

Karaya Gum

Bassora tragacanth, Indian tragacanth, kadaya, kadira, katila, karaya, kulla, mucara, Sterculia gum, Sterculia tragacanth, S. urens, S. villosa

Karaya gum is a soft gum obtained from Sterculia tragacanth, a softwood tree cultivated in India and Pakistan. The use of karaya gum became widespread during the early 20th century. Today it’s used in a variety of products to provide bulk, including cosmetics, hair sprays, and lotions. Karaya gum absorbs more than 100 times its weight in water; it forms a viscous solution in low concentrations in water and a gel or paste in higher concentrations. When taken orally, it isn’t digested or systemically absorbed. In the GI tract, it acts as a bulk-forming laxative to stimulate peristalsis. The dried bark may have astringent properties, and the paste is reputedly antibacterial when applied topically to wounds. Karaya gum is available as a dry powder or paste.

Reported uses

Karaya gum is used industrially as a thickener in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, hairsprays, lotions, and denture adhesives. It’s also used as a binder or stabilizer in foods and beverages. Karaya gum is used orally as bulk-forming laxative akin to psyllium. It’s applied topically as powder or paste to treat pressure sores or care for ileostomies or colostomies.

Administration

Karaya gum is generally recognized as safe for ingestion as a food additive.

Hazards

Adverse reactions associated with karaya gum include constipation, abdominal distention, dyspnea, cough, wheezing, and bloating. It may decrease absorption of oral drugs.

Patients with bowel obstruction should avoid using karaya or any other bulk-forming laxative. No information is available on use of karaya gum by pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Clinical considerations

• As with other bulk-forming laxatives, karaya gum may decrease absorption of drugs taken concurrently. This effect should be clinically insignificant with amounts found in food and pharmaceuticals.
• To maximize laxative effect, patient needs adequate fluid intake.
• Karaya gum may cause pain when applied topically to wounds.
• Encourage adequate fluid intake, and teach patient about increasing fiber in diet.
• Instruct patient to separate intake of oral drugs by 2 hours.
• Tell patient to notify pharmacist of any herbal and dietary supplements that he’s taking when obtaining a new prescription.
• Advise patient to consult his health care provider before using an herbal preparation because a conventional treatment with proven efficacy may be available.

Research summary

Preliminary studies suggest that karaya gum may normalize blood sugar and plasma lipid levels, but this has not been well substantiated. The demulcent properties make it useful for relieving sore throats. Using karaya gum as a coating applied to dentures has been shown to reduce the adhesion of bacteria by 98%. Widespread experience with the product throughout the United States and Europe has shown that the gum has not been associated with significant toxicity and is essentially inert when ingested.