Development of a profitable procedure for the extraction of 2-H-1-benzopyran-2-one (coumarin) from Mikania glomerata

This report deals with a new procedure suitable for the extraction of couma rin 1 from Mikania glomerata. The aim of this investigation is to obtain th is compound in an economically profitable way, taking into account the yiel d of its extraction, the cost, and the time of the overall process. Fresh a nd dried plants collected in several areas of the State of Rio de Janeiro w ere used, and seasonal effects on coumarin content were studied. Obtained r esults indicated that extraction with a 1% (w/v) NaOH solution, under appro priate conditions, allows a simple and complete recovery of the desired pro duct and that the best yields were obtained with the fresh aerial parts of the plant. Season and area of harvesting effects have also been studied.