Adhatoda vasica
Adhatoda vasica
Purity Levels
1% to 40% Vasicine by HPLC
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey extraction plants for Adhatoda vasica (Vasaka, Malabar nut), processing the dried leaf into an extract standardised to Vasicine — the pharmacopoeial marker quinazoline alkaloid listed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia — by HPLC. The 1% to 40% range is not a single product but a deliberate grade ladder: a crude leaf extract at the low end for bulk Ayurvedic and traditional cough-and-cold formulations, through mid-range standardised extracts for nutraceutical dosing, up to a purified alkaloid concentrate at the high end for pharmaceutical use. We supply the complete machinery — leaf cleaning, milling, alkaloid-directed extraction, filtration, purification, vacuum concentration, closed-loop solvent recovery, HPLC standardisation and drying — to process Vasaka leaf into a consistent extract for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and Ayurvedic industries.
Mechotech's Adhatoda vasica plant is engineered around the real chemistry of Vasaka leaf: vasicine and its co-occurring oxidation product vasicinone are well-documented quinazoline alkaloids concentrated in the leaf, historically the basis of Vasaka's established respiratory-tonic and expectorant use in both classical Ayurveda and modern pharmacopoeial monographs. Because the target actives are basic alkaloids, the extraction system uses a pH-directed hydro-alcoholic solvent approach that improves alkaloid solubility and recovery relative to a neutral aqueous or plain-ethanol pull, followed by a purification stage that is switched in or out depending on which grade tier the batch is targeting — minimal for crude 1%–5% grades, full resin-based alkaloid enrichment for 20%–40% concentrate grades. Built in SS 316L with electropolished product-contact surfaces, PLC-SCADA automation and full batch documentation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system engineered to the declared Vasicine by HPLC specification across the full grade range.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Adhatoda vasica Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Justicia adhatoda (syn. Adhatoda vasica) |
| Raw Material | Dried Adhatoda vasica (Vasaka) leaves |
| Plant Part | Leaf |
| Extract Type | Standardised dry extract (powder) |
| Standardisation | Vasicine by HPLC — 1% to 40% grades achievable (crude to purified alkaloid concentrate) |
| Extraction Method | pH-directed hydro-alcoholic solvent extraction (closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors) |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filtration |
| Purification System | Resin-based alkaloid enrichment (engaged for mid-to-high grade concentrates) |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with closed-loop solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray dryer or vacuum tray dryer |
| Automation | PLC-SCADA with recipe management, batch traceability and production reporting |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP, HACCP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Free-flowing standardised extract powder |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Leaf Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Grade development, alkaloid-recovery validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Contract manufacturing, buyer sample runs |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Export-grade continuous production |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate vasicine recovery at your target grade before scaling, since the crude and concentrate grades draw on materially different purification loads.
Manufacturing Process
Leaf Cleaning & Size Reduction
Dried Vasaka leaf is authenticated, cleaned of stem and foreign matter, tested for moisture, and milled to a uniform particle size to maximise solvent contact with the alkaloid-bearing leaf tissue.
pH-Directed Hydro-Alcoholic Extraction
Milled leaf is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors and extracted with a controlled hydro-alcoholic solvent system under regulated pH and temperature, exploiting vasicine's alkaloid basicity to improve extraction efficiency over a neutral solvent pull.
Solid-Liquid Separation & Filtration
The extract slurry is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters, removing spent leaf marc ahead of concentration or purification.
Alkaloid Purification (Grade-Dependent)
For mid-to-high grade targets, the filtered extract passes a resin-based purification stage that selectively enriches the vasicine/vasicinone alkaloid fraction; crude low-grade batches bypass this step and proceed directly to concentration.
Vacuum Concentration
The extract (purified or crude, per grade) is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator under reduced pressure and controlled temperature to protect the alkaloid fraction from thermal degradation.
Solvent Recovery
A closed-loop recovery system condenses, purifies and recycles the extraction solvent back into production.
HPLC Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed by HPLC for vasicine content and adjusted — by blending crude and enriched lots, or by carrier dilution — to the declared grade point within the 1%–40% specification range.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised extract is spray- or vacuum-tray dried to a free-flowing, low-moisture powder, then released after HPLC assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing with full certificate-of-analysis documentation.
Major Plant Equipment
- Leaf cleaning and de-stemming system
- Hammer mill (size reduction)
- Stainless-steel jacketed hydro-alcoholic extraction vessels (SS 316L)
- Solvent storage tanks
- Solvent transfer pumps
- Plate-and-frame filter press / pressure leaf filter
- Cartridge polish filters
- Resin-based alkaloid purification column
- Falling-film / multi-stage vacuum evaporator
- Closed-loop solvent recovery system
- Condensers & vacuum pumps
- HPLC quality-control laboratory setup
- Spray dryer / vacuum tray dryer
- CIP (clean-in-place) system
- PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Pharmaceutical cough-and-cold and respiratory-support formulations
- Nutraceutical capsule, tablet, and syrup ingredient supply
- Ayurvedic and traditional medicine preparations (classical Vasaka formulations)
- Herbal syrup and lozenge manufacturing
- Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers requiring HPLC-verified vasicine content
- Contract manufacturing of grade-specific Vasaka extract for formulators
Key Features
GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces use GMP hygienic design, with CIP operation between batches.
One Line, Full Grade Ladder
The same plant runs crude 1%–5% leaf extract, mid-range standardised grades, and a purified 20%–40% alkaloid concentrate, by switching the resin purification stage in or out per batch target.
pH-Directed Alkaloid Extraction
A controlled hydro-alcoholic solvent system exploits vasicine's alkaloid chemistry for higher recovery efficiency than plain aqueous or neutral-ethanol extraction.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated recovery returns the majority of solvent used per batch for reuse.
HPLC-Verified Standardisation
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check the finished extract against its declared vasicine specification at whichever grade point the buyer has ordered.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Adhatoda vasica extraction?
Why does the Vasicine specification range from 1% to 40%?
What plant part of Adhatoda vasica is used, and why?
Why is a pH-directed extraction method used instead of plain aqueous or ethanol extraction?
What is vasicinone, and does the plant recover it separately?
What production capacities are available for the Adhatoda vasica plant?
Which industries use Adhatoda vasica extract, and does the plant support GMP qualification?
What is the typical cost and delivery timeline for an Adhatoda vasica extraction plant?
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