## 1 Introduction  
Medicinal plants represent an inexhaustible source of biologically active compounds with multiple roles in the body and are successfully used in complementary medicine as an alternative to traditional medicine. Medicinal plants are species of cultivated or wild-grownplants that, because of their chemical composition, have pharmaceutical properties [1]. They are used in natural remedies and treatments in human and animal therapeutics [2]. The chemical composition includes a diversity of biologically active compounds such as alkaloids, essential oils, tannins, vitamins, and minerals with beneficial effects on health [3; 4; 5; 6]. Essential oils (EOs) and extracts from medicinal plants are also used in food as antibacterial and/or antibiofilm agents [7; 8; 9]. The variety of spontaneous indigenous flora offers combinations of biologically active compounds with a functional role, which increased the scientific and practical interest in their exploitation in the form of extracts, essential oils, and supplements and their commercialization on a large scale. According to the Plant Extracts Global Market Report 2022, published in September 2022 [10], the global plant extracts market grew from USD 22.67 billion in 2021 to USD 25.35 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 11.8%, and for the year 2026, an increase of up to USD 35.18 billion is expected. The biological activities of the compounds in plants depend on the quality and quantity of the active principles in different plant-based preparations [11]. In this regard, it is very important, from a scientific and applied point of view, to optimize the preparation and extraction process of the active principles from a certain plant in order to extract the compounds with a functional role as efficiently as possible. Shredding and grinding represent the processes applicable to plant material before extraction. The degree of extraction is influenced by the particle size; a smaller particle size results in a larger contact surface between plant material and solvents, and the degree of extraction will be higher. By shredding, coarse particles are obtained, while powder samples have an advanced degree of homogenization and smaller particles, resulting in better contact with the extraction solvents. Previous studies have shown that particle sizes smaller than 0.5 mm lead to an efficient extraction yield of active principles [12]. Sustainable and green technologies involve plant processing methods so that, through clean, environmentally friendly, low-energy processes, food products rich in active principles that are healthy and have a functional role in the body are obtained. These techniques are also part of the circular economy concept. The extraction techniques applied for medicinal plants are divided into conventional methods (percolation, maceration, Soxhlet extraction, heat-assisted extraction) and non-conventional methods (ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction) [13]. The conventional methods of extraction using solvents (CES) involve a large volume of solvents, high energy consumption, a long extraction time, and usually a lower quantity of active compounds extracted. For these reasons, these methods are considered unsustainable and less effective [14]. Maceration, the most conventional method of extracting active principles from plants, involves compound mass transfer and solubility in adequate solvents combined with heat and/or agitation [13]. Green technologies are considered sustainable and environmentally friendly. These technologies are characterized by reducing or eliminating solvents with high toxicity and preserving the natural environment [15]. Two methods applied to extract the active principle from medicinal plants that are considered environmentally friendly are microwave extraction (MWE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE).