Apparatus for making herbal extracts using percolation

Abstract

The present invention comprises an apparatus and methods for making herbal extracts. The apparatus employs a percolation vessel having a filter and discharge valve. A heater is provided to heat the contents of the vessel to up to about 60° C. during the cold percolation process. A control is provided to monitor the contents of the vessel and regulate the heater output to obtain and maintain the proper temperature. A pump draws the output of the vessel and recirculates it to the vessel top so that the vessel effluent passes through the vessel charge. The method entails continuously percolating a solvent through a bed of herbaceous material in the vessel at a temperature between room temperature and about 60° C. to produce an extract comprising active principles contained in the herbaceous material. The thus produced extract is highly concentrated and contains a large proportion of the active principles in the raw material. The thus-produced extract can be used in lower unit doses to provide enhanced medicinal treatment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.