Herbal Extraction Plants

Andrographis Paniculata

Purity Levels

1% to 90% Andrographolide by HPLC

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey extraction plants for Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), processing the dried aerial parts and leaf into extract grades spanning an unusually wide 1% to 90% Andrographolide by HPLC range. Andrographolide is a bitter diterpene lactone concentrated in the leaf, well documented as the plant's primary bioactive marker for immune-support botanicals. This wide specification band is achievable because Mechotech's line covers the full processing spectrum — from a crude hydro-alcoholic extract at the low end, through resin-purified and fractionated intermediate grades, to crystallised, near-isolate andrographolide at the high end. We supply the complete machinery — leaf cleaning, milling, extraction, filtration, concentration, closed-loop solvent recovery, resin purification/crystallisation and HPLC standardisation — to produce whichever grade the customer's market requires.

Mechotech's Andrographis paniculata plant is engineered around the specific chemistry of andrographolide, a diterpene lactone concentrated in the aerial parts/leaf that is moderately heat-stable but sensitive to prolonged high-temperature exposure and requires a hydro-alcoholic solvent system for efficient recovery from the leaf matrix. The declared 1% to 90% Andrographolide by HPLC range reflects genuinely different product routes on the same core plant: a crude aqueous-ethanol extract concentrated and dried without further purification typically yields low-single-digit to around 10% andrographolide; intermediate 30%-50% grades require resin-adsorption purification to remove co-extracted chlorophyll, tannins and bitters; and near-isolate 80%-90% grades require a dedicated crystallisation and recrystallisation train to isolate andrographolide as a discrete crystalline solid, effectively a botanical-derived near-pure actives stage rather than a standardised extract in the conventional sense. 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 configured to the customer's target grade.

Technical Specifications

Product	Andrographis Paniculata Extraction Plant
Botanical Name	Andrographis paniculata
Raw Material	Dried Andrographis paniculata aerial parts (leaf and stem)
Plant Part	Leaf / aerial parts
Extract Type	Standardised dry extract (powder) to crystalline near-isolate, depending on grade
Standardisation	1% to 90% Andrographolide by HPLC (crude extract through resin-purified and crystallised near-isolate grades)
Extraction Method	Hydro-alcoholic solvent extraction (closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors), with optional resin purification and crystallisation for high-grade output
Product-contact Material	SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable
Filtration System	Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filtration
Concentration System	Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with closed-loop solvent recovery
Drying System	Spray dryer or vacuum tray dryer; crystallisation/centrifugation train for near-isolate grades
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 extract powder (low-to-mid grades) or crystalline andrographolide (near-isolate grades)

Plant Capacities

Plant Scale	Leaf Throughput	Typical Use
Pilot	Configured to your feedstock and trial plan	Grade development, purification/crystallisation parameter validation
Semi-Commercial	Configured between pilot and commercial scale	Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials
Commercial	Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume	Export-grade continuous production

Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, target andrographolide grade, and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate resin-purification or crystallisation yield before scaling to a high-grade (70%+) specification.

Manufacturing Process

Raw Material Cleaning & Size Reduction

Dried Andrographis paniculata aerial parts are cleaned to remove soil and foreign matter, tested for moisture, and milled to a uniform particle size to maximise solvent contact given the leaf's bitter, resinous structure.

Hydro-Alcoholic Extraction

Milled herb is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels and extracted with a controlled hydro-alcoholic solvent system across multiple cycles to recover andrographolide from the leaf matrix.

Solid-Liquid Separation & Filtration

The extract slurry is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters, removing spent leaf fibre ahead of concentration.

Vacuum Concentration

The filtered miscella is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, yielding a crude concentrated extract typically in the low-single-digit to ~10% andrographolide range if dried directly at this stage.

Resin Purification (Mid-Grade Route)

For 30%-50% grades, the concentrate is passed through resin-adsorption columns that selectively retain andrographolide while removing co-extracted chlorophyll, tannins and bitter principles, substantially lifting relative andrographolide content.

Crystallisation & Recrystallisation (Near-Isolate Route)

For 80%-90% grades, the purified concentrate undergoes controlled cooling crystallisation and recrystallisation cycles, with centrifugal separation of the crystalline andrographolide fraction from residual mother liquor — the step that distinguishes a near-isolate specification from a conventional standardised extract.

Solvent Recovery

A closed-loop recovery system condenses, purifies and recycles solvent recovered across the concentration, purification and crystallisation stages back into production.

HPLC Standardisation, Drying & Quality Control

Each grade is assayed by HPLC and adjusted to its declared point within the 1%-90% Andrographolide range, then spray- or vacuum-dried (or centrifuge-dried for crystalline grades) and released after assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing with full certificate-of-analysis documentation.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw material cleaning system
Hammer mill (size reduction)
Stainless-steel hydro-alcoholic extraction vessels (jacketed, SS 316L)
Solvent storage tanks
Solvent transfer pumps
Plate-and-frame filter press / pressure leaf filter
Cartridge polish filters
Falling-film / multi-stage vacuum evaporator
Resin-adsorption purification columns
Crystallisation vessel with controlled cooling
Centrifuge (crystal/mother-liquor separation)
Closed-loop solvent recovery system
Condensers & vacuum pumps
Spray dryer / vacuum tray dryer
HPLC quality-control laboratory setup
CIP (clean-in-place) system, PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation

Plant Output

Andrographis Paniculata Extract — 1%-10% Andrographolide by HPLC (crude/general-purpose extract)Andrographis Paniculata Extract — 30%-50% Andrographolide by HPLC (resin-purified mid-grade)Andrographis Paniculata Extract — 80%-90% Andrographolide by HPLC (crystallised near-isolate grade)

Applications

Immune-support and cold/flu-season nutraceutical supplement formulations
Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient and API-adjacent supply (high-grade andrographolide)
Ayurvedic and traditional medicine preparations (Kalmegh formulations)
Capsule, tablet, and functional-food supplement manufacturing
Research and analytical reference-material supply (near-isolate grades)
Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers across the full grade spectrum

Key Features

GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces use GMP hygienic design, with CIP operation between batches.
Full-Spectrum Grade Capability on One Line
A single plant is engineered to deliver crude extract, resin-purified mid-grade, and crystallised near-isolate andrographolide, covering the entire declared 1%-90% specification range.
Integrated Resin Purification & Crystallisation
Dedicated resin-adsorption and controlled crystallisation/recrystallisation trains lift andrographolide content well beyond what concentration and drying alone can achieve.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated recovery returns the majority of solvent across extraction, purification and crystallisation stages for reuse.
HPLC-Verified Standardisation
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check each grade against its declared point on the 1%-90% Andrographolide specification band.
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 Andrographis Paniculata extraction?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh) — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed, and commissioned as a single integrated system.

Why does the Andrographolide specification range from as low as 1% to as high as 90%?

This wide range reflects genuinely different processing depths on the same botanical: a crude hydro-alcoholic extract, concentrated and dried without further purification, typically falls in the low-single-digit to ~10% andrographolide range. Reaching 30%-50% requires resin-adsorption purification to strip out chlorophyll, tannins and bitters. Reaching 80%-90% requires a dedicated crystallisation and recrystallisation train that isolates andrographolide as a near-pure crystalline solid. Mechotech's plant is engineered to produce any point on this range depending on which stages the customer's line includes.

Which grade should a buyer choose — crude, mid-purity, or near-isolate?

The right grade depends on end use rather than potency alone. Crude 1%-10% extract suits general Ayurvedic and traditional-formulation use where the whole-herb profile is wanted alongside andrographolide. Resin-purified 30%-50% grades give a more concentrated, less bitter, better-flowing powder for standard capsule and tablet manufacturing — andrographolide is intensely bitter, and removing co-extracted chlorophyll and tannins during resin purification also improves taste and colour. Crystallised 80%-90% near-isolate grades suit pharmaceutical-adjacent and research applications needing a defined, high-purity input. Mechotech configures the plant's purification stages to match whichever grade the buyer's target market requires.

What raw material and plant part is used for Andrographis extraction?

Dried aerial parts (leaf and stem) of Andrographis paniculata are used, since andrographolide — the plant's principal diterpene lactone bioactive — is concentrated in the leaf tissue.

Is crystallisation required for every grade of andrographolide extract?

No. Crystallisation and recrystallisation are only required for near-isolate grades (typically 80% and above). Lower and mid-range grades (1%-50%) are produced by concentration, optional resin purification, and standard spray or vacuum drying, without a dedicated crystallisation train.

What production capacities are available for the Andrographis Paniculata plant?

Mechotech builds Andrographis plants from pilot systems for product development to commercial-scale plants. Capacity and included purification stages are selected from target grade, raw-material supply, and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate resin-purification or crystallisation yield before scaling to high-grade specifications.

Which industries use Andrographis Paniculata extract, and does the plant support GMP qualification?

Immune-support nutraceutical brands, Ayurvedic and traditional-medicine formulators, and pharmaceutical ingredient buyers sourcing higher-purity grades use Mechotech plants for consistent, compliant production. Every plant is built in electropolished SS 316L with CIP cleaning to GMP hygienic design, with full documentation for qualification.

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Andrographis Paniculata