How is a plant extract made?

Each extraction method is characterised by certain specifications, which make the final result more expensive or cheaper, slower or faster, more suitable for the extraction of polar or non-polar compounds present in plants, etc. Broadly speaking, all plant extracts follow a common process: The plant is grown and harvested at the most appropriate time according to the ripening time of the part to be used. It is dried to prevent the proliferation of micro-organisms and fungi due to the moisture naturally present in its structures. It is ground, the finer, usually the better, to allow for the subsequent integration of the solvent that will extract the compounds present. A solvent, characteristic of the extraction method used, is applied. The solvent is the medium in which the plant compounds will be mixed. A catalyst is used to accelerate the extraction reaction, usually heat, pressure, microwaves, or a mixture of these. The solvent is evaporated by washing and heat evaporation processes usually. After this process we obtain an extract that can be dry or lipidic (oily) like essential oils. It is encapsulated, compressed or presented in the final product format, together with other ingredients (or not) to obtain the food supplement with the desired function.

What are the main plant extracts?

There are an infinite number of plant extracts that you can find on the market, the best known of which are: Turmeric Extract. Ginger Extract. Ginseng Extract. Green Tea Extract. You will find all these extracts and many more in the HSN, catalogue, committed as always to the highest product quality.

Extracts and plants

Buy our plant extracts in capsule, tablet, softgel or powder form. Standardised extracts and extraction ratio, made from the best raw materials:

Extracts and Plants

Q: What is a natural extract?

All herbal extracts are generally considered "natural", as the active ingredients that are concentrated are obtained from a plant where they were naturally present, i.e. they are not synthetic. However, this conceptualisation of 'natural' is variable, fuzzy and not clearly defined, as many people interpret extraction with chemical solvents such as methanol or ethanol (widely used, efficient and safe for this purpose) as disabling the 'natural' condition, but they should not do so as they are not present in the end result of the extract. In general terms, all plant extracts come from natural sources and are considered as such.

Q: What are dried plant extracts?

Dry extracts are those plant extracts that after extraction and subsequent evaporation of the solvent, a powder with a very low percentage of moisture (anhydrous, or dry) is obtained. Dry extracts are the most common presentation of plant extracts, as it is the most versatile format for the development of food supplements, as it can be encapsulated, compressed and used in powder formulas. Other formats of extracts are fluid extracts (in liquid medium) or essential oils (in oily medium), but they are much less common than dry extracts.

Table of contents

What are plant extracts?

Plant extracts are concentrated versions of certain parts of plants that are of nutritional interest because of their traditional use associated with desired effects.

A plant extract, to put it simply, is the coffee you make yourself every morning, where a large number of active ingredients naturally present in the bean of the plant are concentrated in the boiling water with which they come into contact during its preparation.

Then, when you consume it, your body gets the nutrients from the coffee bean that have been retained in the water.

What are plant extracts for?

Plants extracts have received attributions associated with the effects of the number of active ingredients they contain.

At HSN, we don't recommend the use of supplements for the prevention or treatment of conditions that require medical attention. if you find yourself in such a situation, contact your primary care doctor.

Caffeine, for example, at doses of at least 75mg, helps increase alertness and improves attention.

A herbal extract of coffee beans with a caffeine content above that amount would have the effect attributed to caffeine.

You could say that plant extracts are used to benefit from the effects of the chemical constituents that characterise the plant.

Extract types

You can find herbal extracts of virtually all the plants that exist in the world. In fact, more than 15,000 species have been associated with uses applicable to extracts for human use.

The types of extracts vary mainly depending on:

The plant selected.

The part of the plant chosen (leaves, seeds, roots, fruits, etc.)

The conditions of harvesting and treatment of the plant.

The extraction method applied.

These factors determine the characteristics of the herbal extract and the amount of active ingredients, making it a better or worse option, although the manufacturers of extracts already know the characteristics that condition the quality of the final product and harvest and treat the plant to optimise the process and achieve the best result.

Even so, it's always interesting to carry out some research in order to find out precisely what you're looking for, whether it's a dry extract, essential oils, extracts of leaves, roots or fruits of the plant in question, etc.

How do you take plant extract supplements?

Dietary supplements made from plant extracts have an established method of use.

This method of use is established based on the research carried out by the company that markets the extract, in order to achieve the greatest possible effectiveness in conditions of maximum safety.

At HSN, we recommend following the established method of use and not exceeding the recommended daily dose.

Where to buy plant extracts?

There are many physical and virtual establishments that market herbal extracts, however, not all of them are the same, because, as we have seen previously, the characteristics of the raw material treatment condition the quality factors of the final product, and it's important you pay attention to:

The extraction ratio.

And the standardisation of active compounds

To understand the quality of the extract you're going to use.

You'll find these values reflected in the labelling of HSN plant extracts.

HSN recommends the use of this product, thanks to its composition based on a variety of herbal extracts and with the best quality on the market:

Frequently asked questions about extracts and plants

Each extraction method is characterised by certain specifications, which make the final result more expensive or cheaper, slower or faster, more suitable for the extraction of polar or non-polar compounds present in plants, etc.

Broadly speaking, all plant extracts follow a common process:

The plant is grown and harvested at the most appropriate time according to the ripening time of the part to be used.
It is dried to prevent the proliferation of micro-organisms and fungi due to the moisture naturally present in its structures.
It is ground, the finer, usually the better, to allow for the subsequent integration of the solvent that will extract the compounds present.
A solvent, characteristic of the extraction method used, is applied. The solvent is the medium in which the plant compounds will be mixed.
A catalyst is used to accelerate the extraction reaction, usually heat, pressure, microwaves, or a mixture of these.
The solvent is evaporated by washing and heat evaporation processes usually.
After this process we obtain an extract that can be dry or lipidic (oily) like essential oils.

It is encapsulated, compressed or presented in the final product format, together with other ingredients (or not) to obtain the food supplement with the desired function.

All herbal extracts are generally considered "natural", as the active ingredients that are concentrated are obtained from a plant where they were naturally present, i.e. they are not synthetic.

However, this conceptualisation of 'natural' is variable, fuzzy and not clearly defined, as many people interpret extraction with chemical solvents such as methanol or ethanol (widely used, efficient and safe for this purpose) as disabling the 'natural' condition, but they should not do so as they are not present in the end result of the extract.

In general terms, all plant extracts come from natural sources and are considered as such.

Dry extracts are those plant extracts that after extraction and subsequent evaporation of the solvent, a powder with a very low percentage of moisture (anhydrous, or dry) is obtained.

Dry extracts are the most common presentation of plant extracts, as it is the most versatile format for the development of food supplements, as it can be encapsulated, compressed and used in powder formulas.

Other formats of extracts are fluid extracts (in liquid medium) or essential oils (in oily medium), but they are much less common than dry extracts.

There are an infinite number of plant extracts that you can find on the market, the best known of which are:

You will find all these extracts and many more in the HSN, catalogue, committed as always to the highest product quality.

Carlos Sánchez Head of R&D&I | Dietitian-Nutritionist and Food Technologist

Within HSN, I am responsible for R&D&I, as well as writing blog articles and handling user enquiries through our Customer Service department. My role is to analyse the scientific information surrounding the nutrients used in our product formulations, studying their optimal dosage and creating innovative formulas that provide real solutions to the various needs of our users. Likewise, I evaluate our current product range to pursue continuous improvement, with the aim of addressing any needs that may arise.