Processing of Medicinal Plants

• Processing of Medicinal Plants involves cleaning, drying, and preserving plant materials for medicinal use.
• Processing involves post-harvest handling of medicinal plants to maintain their potency, stability, and purity.

Steps in Processing

1. Cleaning

   • Removes dirt, dust, and foreign materials.
   • Washing (if needed) – Aloe vera gel is extracted after thorough washing.

2. Drying

   • Reduces moisture content to prevent microbial growth.
   • Methods:
     • Sun Drying: Used for hardy materials like Senna leaves.
     • Shade Drying: Protects volatile compounds (Peppermint, Basil).
     • Artificial Drying: Hot-air drying at controlled temperatures.

3. Garbling

   • Sorting and removing unwanted plant parts, dirt, and insects.

4. Size Reduction (Cutting & Grinding)

   • Whole plants are chopped, ground, or powdered for extraction.
   • Example: Ginger is dried and ground into a fine powder.

5. Extraction & Isolation of Active Compounds

   • Methods:
     • Solvent Extraction (Ethanol, Water, Acetone).
     • Steam Distillation (Essential oils from Eucalyptus, Peppermint).
     • Supercritical Fluid Extraction (High-purity extraction for pharmaceuticals).

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