Glycosides Extraction Plants

Epimedium Extract Powder

Purity Levels

10% - 98% Icariin by HPLC

Mechotech supplies the complete machinery for epimedium extract powder production, standardised to 10%-98% icariin by HPLC. Epimedium (Epimedium spp., commonly known as horny goat weed) is a leaf-derived botanical rich in icariin, the dominant prenylated flavonoid glycoside behind its long-standing use in sexual-health and bone-health nutraceutical formulations. Our turnkey plant extracts, purifies, concentrates, and spray-dries or crystallises these actives into a standardised free-flowing powder across the full crude-to-purified grade range for the nutraceutical, functional food, and pharmaceutical markets.

Mechotech designs and manufactures the epimedium extract powder extraction plant as a turnkey solution with SS 316L construction, low-temperature aqueous-ethanol extraction of the dried leaf, integrated solvent recovery, and a purification train that lets one plant cover the full 10%-98% icariin range. The wide range reflects real grade-tiering rather than a single fixed output: a straightforward hydro-alcoholic extraction and concentration route yields crude extract grades in the 10%-60% band, while grades approaching 90-98% require an added macroporous-resin adsorption/desorption and crystallisation stage to isolate and concentrate icariin away from co-extracted leaf flavonoids and tannins. The plant is engineered to protect the heat-sensitive icariin/icariside fraction at every stage while achieving a consistent HPLC assay and low moisture.

Technical Specifications

Product	Epimedium Extract Powder Extraction Plant
Botanical Source	Epimedium spp. (horny goat weed)
Raw Material	Dried epimedium leaf
Plant Part	Leaf
Extract Type	Standardised dry extract (powder); purified/crystallised isolate at top grades
Standardisation	10%-98% Icariin / icariside by HPLC
Extraction Method	Aqueous-ethanol extraction, closed jacketed SS 316L extractors
Purification (high-grade)	Macroporous resin adsorption/desorption and crystallisation for grades approaching 90-98%
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 (crude-to-mid grades); vacuum/crystallisation dryer (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, FSSAI hygienic design; full documentation for qualification
Final Product Form	Free-flowing standardised extract powder or crystallised icariin isolate

Plant Capacities

Plant Scale	Leaf Throughput	Typical Use
Pilot	Configured to your feedstock and trial plan	Product development, grade and yield 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 across crude-to-purified grades

Throughput to finished-powder yield varies significantly by target grade — crude 10%-60% grades run at higher mass yield, while 90%-98% purified/crystallised icariin requires additional resin-purification passes and yields less finished powder per kg of leaf. We recommend a pilot plant to validate the process route for your target grade before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

Raw Material Preparation

Dried epimedium leaf is authenticated, tested for moisture, and milled to a uniform particle size to maximise solvent contact and release of icariin and related flavonoid glycosides before extraction.

Extraction

Milled leaf is extracted with warm water or aqueous ethanol in closed jacketed SS 316L extractors at controlled temperature. Multiple cycles with fresh solvent maximise icariin/icariside recovery while limiting thermal degradation.

Filtration

The extract (miscella) is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters to remove leaf particulates before concentration.

Vacuum Concentration

The filtered extract is concentrated in a falling-film evaporator under vacuum at controlled temperature with closed-loop ethanol recovery, producing the base concentrate for either crude-grade drying or further purification.

Resin Purification & Crystallisation (Grade-Dependent)

For target assays above roughly 60% icariin, the concentrate is passed through macroporous resin adsorption/desorption columns to strip out co-extracted leaf flavonoids and tannins, then crystallised to reach purified icariin isolate grades near the top of the 10%-98% range.

Standardisation

The concentrate or purified isolate is assayed by HPLC for icariin/icariside content and blended or maltodextrin-adjusted to the declared grade within the 10%-98% specification before drying.

Drying & Quality Control

Crude-to-mid grades are spray-dried to a free-flowing powder; purified isolate grades are finished by vacuum/crystallisation drying. Each batch undergoes HPLC assay, residual solvent, heavy metals, microbial, and moisture testing before release.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw material cleaning & moisture-testing station
Hammer mill (size reduction)
Jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels
Solvent storage & metering tanks
Plate-and-frame filter press
Cartridge polish filtration
Falling-film vacuum evaporator
Macroporous resin adsorption/desorption columns (high-grade purification)
Crystallisation vessel and centrifuge (isolate grades)
Closed-loop solvent recovery system
Condensers & vacuum pumps
Spray dryer / vacuum crystallisation dryer
CIP (clean-in-place) system
Storage tanks & finished-product tanks
PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation

Plant Output

Epimedium Extract Powder — 10% Icariin by HPLC (crude grade)Epimedium Extract Powder — 40% Icariin by HPLCEpimedium Extract Powder — 60% Icariin by HPLCEpimedium Extract Powder — 90%-98% Icariin by HPLC (purified/crystallised isolate)

Applications

Sexual-health and vitality nutraceutical capsule and tablet formulations
Bone-health and joint-support supplement blends
Functional food and dietary supplement manufacturing
Pharmaceutical standardised botanical ingredient supply
Ayurvedic and traditional medicine preparations
Export to nutraceutical ingredient buyers in regulated markets

Key Features

Full Grade Range on One Line
The plant is engineered to cover both crude extraction (10%-60% icariin) and purified/crystallised isolate production (up to 98%) by adding a resin-purification and crystallisation train onto the base extraction-concentration line.
GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
All product-contact surfaces are electropolished SS 316L, using GMP hygienic design for botanical extract manufacturing, with clean-in-place (CIP) operation between batches.
Standardised 10%-98% Assay by HPLC
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check the finished powder against its declared icariin/icariside specification for consistent, buyer-ready quality at whichever grade is targeted.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-distillation recovery returns ethanol for reuse each batch, reducing fresh-solvent consumption.
Integrated Spray Drying
A matched spray dryer converts the standardised concentrate into a free-flowing, low-moisture powder ready for encapsulation and blending, completing the turnkey powder line.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with a modular design that allows expansion without replacing core equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is epimedium extract powder and why is it commercially extracted?

Epimedium extract powder is the concentrated extract of Epimedium spp. leaf (horny goat weed), standardised to 10%-98% icariin by HPLC. Icariin is the dominant prenylated flavonoid glycoside in epimedium leaf, and standardised extraction delivers a consistently dosed ingredient for sexual-health and bone-health nutraceutical formulations, unlike raw dried leaf, which has variable icariin content.

Why does the icariin specification range so widely, from 10% to 98%?

The range reflects genuinely different grades of the same botanical, not a loose specification. Crude hydro-alcoholic extraction and concentration alone yields grades roughly in the 10%-60% band, suited to bulk capsule and tablet formulation. Grades approaching 90%-98% are purified/crystallised icariin isolates, produced by adding a macroporous resin adsorption/desorption and crystallisation stage to strip out co-extracted leaf flavonoids and tannins. Mechotech's plant is engineered to produce across this full grade range on one line, configured to the buyer's target.

Which plant part of epimedium is used, and why?

The dried leaf is used, since icariin and related flavonoid glycosides are concentrated in epimedium's above-ground leafy biomass, which is the plant part traditionally harvested and commercially traded for extraction.

Does Mechotech supply the machinery for epimedium extract powder?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey machinery — extraction vessels, filtration, resin purification and crystallisation for high-grade isolate production, vacuum concentration with solvent recovery, and spray/crystallisation drying — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed, and commissioned as a single integrated plant.

What testing method confirms the epimedium extract powder specification?

The declared 10%-98% specification is confirmed by HPLC assay on every batch, supported by residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing for full certificate-of-analysis documentation required by regulated-market buyers.

What production capacities are available for the epimedium extract powder plant?

Mechotech manufactures epimedium extract powder plants from pilot systems for product development to commercial-scale plants. Because purified isolate grades near 98% require additional resin-purification passes and yield less finished powder per kg of leaf than crude grades, capacity planning depends on the target grade; we recommend a pilot plant to validate the process route before scaling.

Which industries use epimedium extract powder?

Nutraceutical manufacturers producing vitality, sexual-health and bone-health supplement formulations, pharmaceutical companies sourcing standardised botanical actives, and Ayurvedic/traditional-medicine formulators use Mechotech-built plants for consistent, compliant epimedium extract production.

Can the same plant produce both crude and purified icariin grades?

Yes. The base extraction, filtration and concentration line produces crude grades directly, while an integrated resin-purification and crystallisation train can be engaged for batches targeting the 90%-98% purified isolate range, so one plant serves both ends of the grade spectrum without duplicate core equipment.

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Epimedium Extract Powder