Abstract

The growing global emphasis on sustainable development and green chemistry has renewed interest in ethical and eco-friendly production of herbal phytochemicals. This review compares conventional and green extraction technologies for medicinal plants, focusing on their principles, operational efficiency, and sustainability. Traditional methods such as maceration, decoction, and percolation remain historically important but show limitations in scalability, solvent use, and environmental impact. In contrast, green extraction technologies—including ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, enzyme-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction—achieve up to threefold higher phytochemical yields and reduce energy consumption by approximately 40 % compared with conventional techniques. These methods also minimize hazardous solvent use while enhancing selectivity and extraction speed. Particular emphasis is placed on Asian and Thai medicinal plants, highlighting how cultivation and processing factors affect phytochemical composition and extraction outcomes. The review also examines real-world applications, where industrial adoption of green techniques has resulted in 20–50 % greater extraction efficiency and lower carbon emissions. We provide insights that advance environmentally conscious and climate-responsive herbal product manufacturing.