Extraction of tanshinone IIA from Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge using supercritical fluid extraction and a new extraction technique, phytosol solvent extraction

Supercritical carbon dioxide with and without a methanol modifier has been compared with a new portable cold extraction technique, phytosol solvent extraction (PSE), for the extraction of Tanshinone IIA from Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyse the extracts. The results show that the yield extracted by 10% methanol-modified supercritical carbon dioxide was the highest (0.038%, w/w) and the yields extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide at 60°C and 250 kg/cm2 and phytosol solvents (A,B and D) were similar (0.029-0.032%, w/w).