Methods for obtaining cyclopamine

A process for obtaining cyclopamine from cyclopamine-containing biomass, the improvement comprising the preparation of a second residue following the initial extraction of cyclopamine-containing organic matter which is more highly concentrated in cyclopamine, said improvement comprising the steps of:

• extracting the cyclopamine-containing organic matter into an aqueous solvent capable of extracting cyclopamine using microwave-assisted technology to obtain a cyclopamine/extract solution;
• separating the extracted organic matter from the cyclopamine/extract solution;
• concentrating the cyclopamine/extract solution to form a first residue;
• partitioning the residue between an aqueous phase and an organic solvent or solvent mixture capable of dissolving the cyclopamine to produce an aqueous phase and an organic phase;
• separating the organic phase from the aqueous phase and recovering the organic phase substantially free of the aqueous phase;
• forming a second residue from the organic phase enriched in cyclopamine.