Patent ID: 7976790

Claim:
An apparatus for the extraction of plant constituents comprising: a fluid chamber for the retention of plant material in a suitable carrier fluid; a fluid pathway from said fluid chamber through a second chamber returning to said fluid chamber, said fluid pathway including a convoluted conduit through said second chamber; said second chamber including a plurality of microwave sources arranged in an array around said convoluted conduit to heat fluid passing through said convoluted conduit of said fluid pathway prior to returning to said fluid chamber such that said heated fluid is retained in said fluid chamber at an elevated temperature for a predetermined period of time; and at least one turbulent flow creating chamber in the form of an expansion chamber in said convoluted conduit of said fluid pathway in said second chamber to create turbulent flow to said fluid passing through said convoluted conduit of said fluid pathway in said second chamber so as to increase opening of cell walls of the plant materials and to release the plant constituents into said fluid; and control means for controlling the fluid flow through the pathway and retention in said fluid chamber such that, at any particular time, only a portion of the plant material and fluid within the fluid chamber is passed through the second chamber.