Yes. India has a large botanical extract industry, and many common Ayurvedic herbs are sold both as raw cut or powdered material and as standardised extracts. Examples include ashwagandha, turmeric, senna, tulsi, amla and moringa.
The raw herb processor and the extract maker are usually different businesses. A supplier offering both may make one and trade the other. Find out which before you buy.
Raw herb versus extract
- Raw herb: the dried plant part, cleaned and cut, sifted or milled. Nothing is removed.
- Ratio extract: the herb is extracted with a solvent and concentrated, and sold by how much herb went in. See what an extract ratio means.
- Standardised extract: the extract is adjusted so a marker compound sits at a stated level, such as a percentage of withanolides, sennosides or curcuminoids.
- Full spectrum or native extract: a marketing term with no fixed meaning. Ask what it means in numbers.
How extracts are made
The raw herb is milled, then soaked or percolated in a solvent. Water, ethanol and water-ethanol mixes are common for supplements. Some products use other solvents, which leave residues that must be tested.
The liquid is filtered, concentrated under vacuum and dried, often by spray drying. Carriers such as maltodextrin may be added to help drying or to bring the marker to the stated level. Ask whether a carrier is used and how much.
Standardisation means testing the marker, usually by HPLC or UV methods, then blending batches or adding carrier to hit the target. The method matters, because different methods give different numbers for the same extract.
What to check with an extract supplier
- The plant species, plant part and solvent used, in writing.
- The marker compound, target level and test method named in the spec.
- Carrier and excipient type and amount.
- Residual solvent results if anything other than water was used.
- Heavy metals, pesticides, microbial counts and PAs where relevant, on each batch.
- Plant certifications that suit your market, such as food safety or GMP schemes. See which certifications matter.
Orders and pricing drivers
Extracts are sold by the kg, often in fibre drums or cartons with inner liners, so order sizes are far smaller than raw herb containers. Price is driven by the raw herb cost, the yield, the solvent, the marker level and the test method.
A higher marker level is not always better value. Compare suppliers on the same marker, method and carrier. Ask for an independent test on the sample and on the first batch.
How we help
We find extract makers who run their own extraction plant, audit their process and records, and have marker and contaminant results checked at an NABL-accredited lab. We can source the raw herb and the extract side by side if you need both. Ask for a free sourcing review.