Preparation to extraction

The raw materials, once approved through quality control testing, are cut to the ideal size for the extraction and then are sifted to remove powdery material. After having been weighed according to the formulation, the selected herbs are then placed for mixing into special blenders until a homogeneous mixture for extraction is achieved. When required, we pre-extract the herbs by percolation using ethyl alcohol (ethanol-water mixture) at a specific volume until the herbs have yielded all their active components.

Joint Extraction

For the traditional Chinese recipes, the complete mixture is extracted in order to guarantee the extractive synergism of all its active principles, as handed down by tradition and recorded in the PRC Pharmacopoeia. The substances are weighed and then put into appropriate perforated drums inside the percolator.

The mix is then left to stand for a time, which varies according the codified decoction period (prolonged, standard, or quick). The extraction is carried out in water for hydrophilic drugs and for the pre-treated drugs in a hydro-alcoholic environment. The extraction ends when the active principles concentration in the percolated liquid reaches an established value, measured by constant analytical monitoring of the process. The hydro-alcoholic percolates and the water extracts are then mixed and the hydro-alcoholic solvent is removed.