<b style="">Process optimization for the extraction of hyperforin and hypericin from St. John’s Wort </b><b style=""></b>

Abstract

St. John’s Wort (<b><i style="">Hypericum perforatum</i> Linn.</b>), native to Europe and South America, grows wild in temperate and central parts of India. It has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times for ulceration of kidneys, jaundice, gout and rheumatism. The antidepressant activity of St. John’s Wort extract has sparked great interest in the chemistry and biochemistry of its constituents, hyperforin and hypericin. The process described in this paper outlines the extraction of hyperforin by solvent hexane and thereafter extraction of hypericin from marc by commercial ethanol. The process parameters optimized for both the extractions are: solvent/plant material ratio, temperature, number of extractions and time for each extraction. Optimization was carried out by performing different sets of experiments (on 15kg scale) and varying one parameter at a time for each set of experiment. Depending on quality of plant material, under optimum conditions (i) Hexane extraction yielded 4 to 5% residue containing up to 38% Hyperforin, and (ii) Ethanol extraction yielded 20 to 22% residue containing up to 2.5% hypericin.