EXTRACTION

INTRODUCTION:
To achieve a suitable concentration of the active ingredients contained in the plants and
that their action can be more effective, it is necessary to perform several procedures
through which are extracted the active ingredients with the adequate solvents, selected
according to the solubility and stability of the beneficial substances.

DEFINITION:

Extraction involves the separation of medicinally active portions of animal or plant tissues
from the inactive components through the use of selective solvents.

 In this method the wanted components are dissolved by the use of selective solvents
known as menstruum and undissolved part is a marc (solid residue obtained after
extraction).
 Extract: Extracts can be defined as preparations of crude drugs which contain all the
constituents which are soluble in the solvent.
 Types of extracts:
1. Dry E.g. belladonna extract
2. Soft- ointments, suppository E.g. Glycerrhiza extract
3. Liquid- as tincture.
 SOLVENTS USED:
1. Petroleum ether- fixed oils, Phytoglycerols
2. Benzene- fixed oils, phytosterols
3. Chloroform- alkaloids
4. Acetone-phytosterols
5. Ethanol- carbohydrates, glycosides
6. Saponin- phenolics, tannins, proteins, amino acids
7. Water- proteins, amino acids, glycosides, gums, mucilages, carbohydrates

GENERAL METHOD OF EXTRACTION:

 Communition (reducing substances to small size)

 Penetration of the crude drug by menstruum
 Dissolution of the active principles by menstruum
 Diffusion of the dissolved active principles through the cell wall to the surrounding
menstrum (diffusion is the process wherein the molecules move from a region of
higher concentration to region of lower concentration)
 Separation of the dissolved active principles from the marc by filtration or
expression.

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The basic parameters influencing the quality of extract:

 Plant part used as starting material

 Solvent used for extraction
 Extraction procedure

Variation in extraction methods:

 Length of the extraction period

 Solvent used
 pH of the solvent
 Temperature
 Particle size of the plant tissue
 Solvent –to –sample ratio

Purposes of extraction

 The sole purposes of such basic extraction procedures for the crude drugs are to
obtained the therapeutically desirable portion & eliminate the inert material by
treatment with selective solvent known as the menstrum.
 Such type of extracts also plays a decisive role for the qualitative & quantitative
composition of the extracts.
 These extracts are also utilized for isolation & characterization of therapeutically
active chemical constituents used in modern medicines.

EXTRACTION METHODS:

1) MACERATION
2) PERCOLATION
3) INFUSION
4) DECOCTION
5) DIGESTION

MACERATION:
[Link]: It is the process of removing the active principles from a drug by allowing the
latter to remain at room temperature in contact with the solvent (menstrum) for several
days, with frequent agitation.

[Link]- Preferable in the treatment of large quantities of drug material needing

ample time for the extraction of medicinal properties. Used for gummy and mucilaginous
substances or those having much viscid juice.

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[Link]- Apparatus:

(i) Macerating Jar with Lid,

(ii) Drug material,

(iii) Menstrum,

(iv) Chopping board and knife

[Link] the drug material to a pulp (or maintain it in its natural state if not reducible) and
then place it in a macerating jar (preferably make up of a stainless steel or glass).

[Link] the pre-calculated quantity of menstrum so as to cover the whole mass of the drug
substance. Keep the Jar well corked in a cool dark place free from dust, odour, heat or direct
sunlight.

[Link] the whole mass once a day and keep for a period of two weeks.

[Link] the supernatant liquid and press out the residue through a press or a piece of
clean linen cloth.

[Link] the whole fluid and if found less than the calculated quantity, add the fresh
menstrum to the mass and press it again so as to make the required volume.

[Link] case of viscid or mucilaginous material, where the alcohol does not act fully on the
substance, the process can be modified as follows:

 Take half the quantity of pre-calculated vehicle and add to the pulp. Keep it for three
to seven days and press out the tincture thereafter.
 Triturate mass which remains behind with washed sand or with green glass powder,
twice the bulk of this mass and add to it the remaining half of the vehicle. Percolate
the whole material as described below.
 Add sufficient quantity of alcohol to the percolated volume so as to make the
prescribed volume. This necessitates because of the contraction of volume where
two liquids of different specific gravity are mixed.

[Link]:

A. SIMPLE MACERATION: A process for tinctures made from organised drugs e.g. roots,
stems, leaves etc.
B. MACERATION WITH ADJUSTMENT: A process for tinctures made from unorganised
drugs such as oleo resins and gum resins, oleo gum resins. Here the procedure is like
simple maceration but the final product is not collected by pressing the marc but it is
adjusted to the definite volume.

DIFFERENCE FOR ORGANIZED AND UNORGANIZED DRUG-

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  ORGANISED- Put total menstrum, marc is pressed and vol. is not adjusted.
 UNORGANISED-Put 4/5th of the menstrum, marc is not pressed and vol. is
adjusted.

C. DOUBLE MACERATION AND TRIPLE MACERATION PROCESS: for concentrated

preparations.

DOUBLE MACERATION-

 The whole drug is macerated for 48hrs with the quantity of menstrum required
for first maceration.
 Strain the liquid and press the marc.
 Macerate again for 24hrs with the remaining menstrum required for second
maceration. Strain the liquid and press the marc.
 Mix the liquids obtained from 2 macerations and allow it to stand for 14 days
and filter.

TRIPLE MACERATION-

 The whole of the drug is macerated for 1 hr with a part of menstrum required
for first maceration and strained.
 Macerate again for 1 hr with a part of menstrum required for 2nd maceration
and strained.
 Macerate again for 1 hr with a part of menstrum required for 3rd maceration
and strained.
 Press marc lightly then combine the liquid obtained from 2nd and 3rd maceration
and evaporate it to a specific extent.
 Mix it with liquid obtained from 1st maceration and add alcohol 90% equal to
1/4th of the volume of the finished product.
 Adjust volume with water.
 Allow to stand for 14 days and filter.

MERITS:
1) Maceration is a simple method using non-complicated utensil and equipment.

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 2) Skilled operator is not required.
3) Energy saving process.
4) Suitable method for less potent and cheap drugs.
5) For certain substances which are very less soluble in solvent and requires only
prolonged contact with solvent, it is ideal.

DEMERITS:
1) Unfortunately, the duration of extraction time is long and sometimes takes upto
weeks.
2) Very slow process and time consuming.
3) Not exhaustively extract the drug.
4) Solvent required is more.

PERCOLATION:
[Link]: It is a process of extracting the soluble constituents of a drug and
preparing the mother tincture by the passage of a solvent through the powdered drug
contained in a suitable vessel called percolator for a definite period of time as per directions
specified in pharmacopoeia.

[Link]:

(i) Percolator with sieve and regulating cork stopper

(ii) Glass rod with cork

[Link]:

 This method is adopted for the extraction of dried drugs, dry vegetable substances
and other organic (animal) substances. Reduce them to powder form according to
one of the grades of fineness as specified in the formula of respective drug
monograph.
 Take a clean sterilised percolator and evenly lay the bottom with layers of powdered
glass or sand, pressing it down gently with a spread, flat cork fixed on the end of a
glass rod. Over this, lay the moistened pulp of the dried substance (Moistening with
little menstrum) and evenly press it more firmly especially when the mass is coarse
and particularly when the menstrum is strongly alcoholic, taking care that the mass is
compact and not too tight but free from fissures or empty spaces.
 Cover the upper surface of the mass with the disc of filter paper or a thin layer of
finely powdered glass or sand.
 Take sufficient quantity of the solvent so that it covers the drug substance
completely. Taking care, that while pouring the solvent the arrangement of the drug
substance and the powdered glass and sand is not disturbed.

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  Close the percolator with the lid to prevent dust from contaminating. Allow it to
stand for 24 hours or longer according to the nature of the drug.
 Allow the fluid to percolate in the receiver drop by drop regulating the flow with the
help of the stop cork. Keep a constant watch over the level of the menstrum. It
should always be above the mass of the drug substance.
 Add fresh quantity from time to time without disturbing the arrangement within the
percolator. Continue this until the requisite quantity of the menstrum has passed
through the percolator and the last drop from it has been received in the receiver.
 Once the last drop is received, add sufficient quantity of menstrum to cover the mass
in the percolator and close the mouth of percolator with the lid to prevent further
percolation. This arrangement is allowed to stand for six hours.
 Open the stop cork and allow the whole fluid to percolate in the receiver. Remove
the mass, press it strongly to extract the remaining tincture from it. Add sufficient
menstrum to make the required volume.

[Link]:
a) SIMPLE PERCOLATION: For tinctures

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 b) PERCOLATION FOR CONCENTRATED PREPARATIONS:

1. Reserved percolation process (modified percolation method)

2. Continuous hot percolation or soxhlation

RESERVED PERCOLATION:
In this method the 1st portion – about 3/4th portion of percolate which contains maximum
amount of active constituent (70 to 80%) is reserved.

The last portion of percolate (about 1/4th) is collected separately and menstruum is
evaporated to get syrupy consistency and mixed with reserved percolate.

Final volume is adjusted by adding more menstrum (alcohol)

SOXHLATION: Continuous process of extraction of solid with a hot organic solvent.

Named after Franz Ritter von Soxhlet, a German agricultural chemist.

MERITS:
1) Large amount of plant materials can be extracted at a time.
2) Repeatedly can use solvent.
3) This method does not require filtration after extraction.
4) It is a very simple technique.

DEMERITS:
1) Process is Labor intensive.
2) The samples are heated to a high temperature for a relatively long period thus the
risk of thermal destruction of some compounds can’t be overlooked if the plant
material contains heat labile compounds.

SOXHLET APPARATUS
PROCEDURE:

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  The powdered plant material is taken in a thimble which is placed in the Soxhlet
extractor.
 The extractor which has a siphoning system is fitted on top of round bottomed flask.
A condenser is fitted at the top.
 Enough quantity of the extracting solvent is poured in to the flask placed on a
heating mantle.
 On heating, the solvent evaporates and rises to the condenser where it condenses
and drains back to the extractor holding the thimble with the plant material.
 When the extractor becomes full with the hot solvent, the solvent siphons down to
the flask along with the extracted constituents.
 The recycling of the evaporated solvent is allowed to continue until the extraction is
complete.

MERITS:
1) Requires less time than maceration.
2) Complete extraction is possible.
3) Suitable method for potent and costly drugs.
4) Extraction of thermolabile constituents can be possible.

DEMERITS:
1) More solvent is required.
2) Skilled person is required.
3) Special attention should be paid on particle size of material and throughout the
process.

INFUSION:

Infusions are dilute solutions containing the readily soluble constituents of crude drugs.
Fresh infusions are prepared by macerating the crude drug for a short period of time with
cold or boiling water.

 This process may be preferable in the treatment of dried botanical raw materials
containing large amounts of aromatic principles such as relatively high
concentrations of dehydrated aliphatic hydrocarbons.

PROCEDURE: Place the finely subdivided dried raw material and the calculated quantity of
alcohol into a suitable container. Cover and allow to stand for 15 minutes. After this time,
the purified water, previously heated to boiling, is poured over the mass, and, under a reflux
condenser, the entire mass is maintained at the boiling point for five (5) minutes. After
allowing to cool, the container should be well sealed and placed in a dark room at controlled
room temperature, and agitated at appropriate intervals. The time period necessary for the
extraction of the medicinal substance is variable; it is safe to allow the further process of

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maceration to continue from two to four weeks. Then decant the clear liquid and express
the mark to obtain the maximum quantity of liquid.

 Filter the expressed liquid to remove any remaining particulate matter such that the
filtrate is clear at the time of filtering. Store the tincture in a tightly closed container,
made of glass or other inert material, in an appropriate area. Label the container
with the sign Ø, indicating the strongest liquid preparation made directly from the
medicinal raw material, and also indicate the proportion of medicinal raw material
that the tincture represents (e.g. 1:10).
 If the tincture prepared by infusion represents any ratio other than one (1) part of
medicinal raw material in ten (10) parts of completed tincture, the infusion method
tincture must first be diluted to a 1:10 proportion (on a dry weight basis) to prepare
the 1X attenuation, or to a 1:100 proportion (on a dry weight basis) to prepare the
1C attenuation.
 Infusion method tinctures are subject to retesting after a period of no more than five
(5) years from the manufacturing date, unless stability data confirms a different
testing period. The retest date shall apply only to the tincture, and not to any
subsequent dilution or product prepared from it.
 All tinctures made with this additional process, and all attenuations prepared from
these tinctures, must bear the term "Infusion" on all labeling as part of the name of
the drug, just before the designation of the homeopathic strength.

DECOCTION:

 This process may be preferable in the treatment of fibrous botanical raw material,
such as roots, barks, and woody substances.
 Place the finely subdivided raw material and the calculated quantity of alcohol and
purified water into a suitable tightly closed vessel and allow to stand overnight. Then
heat the mass, under a reflux condenser, and maintain at the boiling point for 30
minutes. After allowing to cool, the container should be well sealed and placed in a
dark room at controlled room temperature, and agitated at appropriate intervals.
The time necessary for the extraction of the medicinal substance is variable; it is safe
to allow the further process of maceration to continue from two to four weeks. Then
decant the clear liquid and express the mark to obtain the maximum quantity of
liquid. Filter the combined liquids to remove any remaining particulate matter such
that the filtrate is clear at the time of filtering. Store the tincture in a tightly closed
container, made of glass or other inert material, in an appropriate area. Label the
container with the sign Ø, indicating the strongest liquid preparation made directly
from the medicinal raw material, and also indicate the proportion of medicinal raw
material that the tincture represents (e.g. 1:10).
 If the tincture prepared by decoction represents any ratio other than one (1) part of
medicinal raw material in ten (10) parts of completed tincture, the decoction
method tincture must first be diluted to a 1:10 proportion (on a dry weight basis) to
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 prepare the 1X attenuation, or to a 1:100 proportion (on a dry weight basis) to
prepare the 1C attenuation.
 Decoction method tinctures are subject to retesting after a period of no more than
five (5) years from the manufacturing date, unless stability data confirms a different
testing period. The retest date shall apply only to the tincture, and not to any
subsequent dilution or product prepared from it.
 All tinctures made with this additional process, and all attenuations prepared from
these tinctures, must bear the term "Decoction" on all labeling as part of the name
of the drug, just before the designation of the homoeopathic strength.

MERITS:
1) Suitable for extracting heat- stable compounds.
2) It is easy to perform.
3) No need of trained operator.
4) This method does not require more and expensive equipment.

DEMERIT: Not advised for the extraction of heat sensitive constituents.

DIGESTION:

When the maceration is done in hot liquid it is known as digestion.

REFERENCES:
1. HPI (HOMOEOPATHIC PHARMACOPOEIA OF INDIA)
2. Slide [Link].
3. International journal of basic sciences and applied computing (IJBSAC), volume2,
Issue-6, 2018.

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