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 according to the needs of the final product, without changing their effective structure. It is also an important component of biopharmaceuticals.

Plant extracts are extracted from agricultural and forestry products through professional equipment and are widely used in the production fields of plant medicines, food additives, functional foods, daily chemicals, plant-based pesticides, and feed. The industrial chain is relatively clear. Its upstream industries mainly include agricultural and forestry medicinal materials products, as well as production and inspection equipment for plant extracts; The plant extract industry, on the other hand, has its own main industrial chain consisting of 9 links, including the breeding of new plant varieties with high content of target effective substances, targeted cultivation of plants to promote the increase of target effective substances, and separation and purification of plant target effective substances; Its downstream industries are diverse and widely used in multiple industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and feed.

The supply of upstream industries in the plant extract industry mainly depends on the production of required raw materials. Therefore, the development of agricultural and forestry products (medicinal herbs) planting industry directly affects the development of the industry. China is a country with abundant plant resources and abundant agricultural and forestry products, especially traditional Chinese medicine, which has unique advantages. It is in a leading position in the cultivation of agricultural and forestry products and medicinal materials. Since 1975, a 10-year national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources has confirmed that there are currently 12807 types of traditional Chinese medicine resources in China, including 11146 medicinal plants. The total storage capacity of wild medicinal materials is 8.5 million tons, and the annual output of domestic medicinal materials is over 300000 tons. This is very beneficial for the development of China's plant extraction industry.

However, China's agricultural and forestry raw materials still need to be improved in terms of limited substances, especially pesticide residues and heavy metal content, which are unfavorable factors affecting the development of the plant extraction industry, especially product exports. So, improving and enhancing production equipment is currently the main development direction in China.