Dry Plant Extract Production via Segmented Solvent Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing dry plant extracts, such as Sinupret, face challenges in maintaining consistent quality and efficacy due to limitations in extraction and drying processes, which affect the pharmacological effectiveness of phytopharmaceuticals used for treating inflammatory and infectious diseases of the upper airways.
Innovation Solution
A twofold extraction process involving an initial aqueous/ethanolic extraction followed by a second aqueous extraction, with subsequent drying under controlled conditions, enhances the enrichment of active ingredients in the dry plant extract, resulting in improved pharmacological efficacy and dosing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single aqueous/ethanolic extraction is used, then the extraction process is simple and quick, but the enrichment of active ingredients is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction process is divided into two sequential steps: a first aqueous/ethanolic extraction followed by a second aqueous extraction. This segmentation allows different solvents to target different active ingredients, with the first extraction capturing ethanol-soluble compounds and the second extraction capturing water-soluble compounds, thereby achieving comprehensive enrichment of active ingredients while maintaining reasonable extraction speed
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction process utilizes parameter changes by switching between different solvent systems (aqueous/ethanolic mixture followed by pure aqueous solution). This change in extraction parameters enables selective dissolution of different active ingredient classes, optimizing both the speed and completeness of extraction without requiring excessive time
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional drying methods are used, then the drying process is simple, but the quality consistency and pharmacological effectiveness are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drying process employs controlled parameter changes including temperature modulation and vacuum conditions. By adjusting these parameters during the drying phase, the method maintains the pharmacological activity of active ingredients while achieving consistent dry extract quality, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and quality reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical drying systems with a controlled thermal and vacuum drying system. This substitution allows for gentler, more controlled water removal that preserves the chemical integrity and pharmacological properties of the extract, thereby improving quality consistency without significantly complicating the manufacturing process
3Quantity of substance
If a twofold extraction process is implemented, then the enrichment of active ingredients is improved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction process is segmented into two distinct but complementary steps using different solvent systems. The first aqueous/ethanolic extraction targets specific active ingredients while the second aqueous extraction captures others, achieving comprehensive enrichment. This segmentation is implemented in a way that maintains process manageability by using straightforward sequential operations rather than complex parallel systems
Solution Approach 2:
The two-extraction system achieves multi-functionality by using different solvent compositions to target different classes of active ingredients. The aqueous/ethanolic mixture handles ethanol-soluble compounds while the pure aqueous solution handles water-soluble compounds, making the overall process universally effective for extracting diverse active ingredients from the plant material without requiring multiple separate processing lines
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The improved dry plant extract demonstrates enhanced antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant effects, effectively treating sinusitis and rhinosinusitis by inhibiting pathogens and viruses, and promoting mucociliary clearance without synthetic-chemical components.
Implementation Method 1
alcoholic/aqueous extraction of Rumicis herba, Verbena officinalis, Sambucus nigra, Primula veris and Gentiana lutea
Implementation Method 2
aqueous/ethanolic extraction
Implementation Method 3
drying of the supernatants and provision of the dry plant extract
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing dry extracts of plants and to pharmaceutical preparations containing the same, more particularly phytopharmaceuticals, which contain at least one ethanolic/aqueous extract of a plant (drug), the plants being selected from the group consisting of: Rumicis herba; Verbena officinalis; Sambucus nigra; Primula veris; and Gentiana lutea and mixtures thereof. The invention further relates to a pharmaceutical for treating inflammatory and/or infectious diseases of the nose and throat area and/or the nasal sinuses, as well as the use thereof.