Near-critical extraction of totarol and/or a product containing totarol

摘要

A process for producing a totarol-containing extract from Podocarpus, Dacrycarpus or Cupressus species is described, which comprises the steps of (a) contacting the plant material with a near-critical fluid to produce a near-critical fluid phase in which the totarol is dissolved, (b) separating the near-critical fluid phase from the plant material and (c) separating the totarol-containing extract from the near-critical fluid. An additional process is described which involves the co-extraction of totarol and an oil-containing material from a plant material. The totarol-containing extract has activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and is suitable for incorporation in a therapeutic or cosmetic formulation.