Plant extract is a product formed by using plants as raw materials, following a physical and chemical extraction and separation process to selectively obtain and concentrate one or more active ingredients in plants, without changing their structure, according to the needs of the final product being extracted. According to the different components extracted from plants, they form glycosides, acids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc; According to different characteristics, it can be divided into vegetable oil, extract, powder, crystalline lens, etc.

Chinese plant extracts are generally intermediate products and currently have a wide range of uses, mainly used as raw materials or excipients for pharmaceuticals, health foods, tobacco, cosmetics, etc. There are also many types of raw material plants used for extraction, with over 300 plant species currently entering industrial extraction.

The plant extract industry has developed in the past 20 years and is an emerging industry that combines pharmaceutical, fine chemical, and agricultural industries.

Data shows that in the first half of 2014, 1074 enterprises in China exported plant extract products to the outside world, with a slight increase in the number of export enterprises compared to the same period last year. Among them, private enterprises account for 50.4% of the export value, far ahead and making a significant contribution. "Three funded" enterprises followed closely behind, accounting for 35.4%. The development of China's plant extract industry has been less than 20 years, and private plant extract enterprises have mostly grown and developed in the absence of "care", constantly growing in response to the challenges of financial "tsunamis" time and time again.

Under the influence of new medical models, plant extract products with functionality or activity are highly favored. At present, the plant extract industry is developing rapidly and has surpassed the growth rate of the pharmaceutical market, becoming an independent emerging industry. With the rise of the global plant extract market, China's plant extract industry will also become a new strategic pillar industry for national economic and social development.