Patent ID: 8003136
Filing Date: 2011-08-23
Classification: A61K,A61P,G01N

Abstract:
1. A standardized process of reproducibly extracting the biologically active components from a goldenseal plant or plant part thereof in order to obtain a composition having a desired level of biological activity, the method comprising: (a) harvesting goldenseal plants to obtain a combination of reproductive and sterile goldenseal plants; (b) separating the reproductive plants and the sterile plants; (c) separating the various plant parts from both the separated reproductive plants and the sterile plants; (d) performing a plurality of solvent extractions of the separated plant parts using a selected solvent system in a plurality of separate extractions, to produce a plurality of crude extracts; (e) sampling each of the plurality of crude extracts of step (d) and analyzing the samples to determine the level of biological activity of each of said samples compared to a reference standard having a known level of biological activity; (f) obtaining a specified multiple or fraction of the biological activity of each such extract sample tested as compared to the reference standard; and (g) combining those crude extracts from the plurality of extracts from either or both of the extracts obtained from the reproductive plants and/or sterile plants to obtain a composition having the desired level of biological activity as compared to the reference standard; and (h) optionally concentrating the combined extract to remove the solvent to provide a composition having the desired level of biological activity.