Plant extract is one of the important export products in China. In recent years, the steady growth of the demand for plant extracts worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States and other developed countries and regions greatly stimulated the development of this industry. The global sales volume of plant extracts reached usd 10.14 billion in 2006 and USD 33.32 billion in 2016, with an average annual market growth rate of about 12.63%. However, in the following years, the export volume of plant extracts in China began to decline, and continue to rise until 2018.

Among the thousands of plant extracts exported, there are big changes from year to year. Some varieties are beginning to decline, while some new varieties are rapidly gaining important export positions. So which plant extracts dominated the top 10 exports this year?

1.Eucalyptus oil :In our daily life, we don't come into contact with eucalyptus oil many times, but many of us ignore its efficacy and value. Eucalyptus oil has bactericidal effect, used in medicine and daily chemical products, can be used as cough syrup, gum sugar, gargle, toothpaste, air purifying agent, etc.

2.Stevia leaf extract:Stevia leaf extract contains no calories and is widely used in food and beverage industry as a high-power sweetener without calories. And studies have shown that stevia extract does not affect blood sugar levels or interfere with insulin, which could be good news for diabetics.

3.Menthol:Menthol is an important spice and is used as an odorant in products such as toothpaste, perfume, drinks and confectionery. Menthol used as a stimulant in medicine, acting on the skin or mucous membrane, cooling antipruritic effect; It can be used as wind-dispelling medicine for headache and nasolaryngology inflammation.

4.Licorice extract:Licorice extract is widely used in daily chemical products. Its functions are mainly reflected in whitening and sunscreen, and it has been favored and respected by beauty lovers. Licorice extract can prevent the formation of melanin, so as to achieve the effect of whitening skin; The flavonoids in licorice extract have a strong absorption effect on ultraviolet and visible light, does not irritate the skin, to achieve sunscreen effect.

5.Marigold extract:Marigold extract is widely used in food, feed, medicine and other fields of food industry and chemical industry, has an important role in improving the color of products, is an indispensable additive in industrial and agricultural production. Its active ingredient lutein protects the retina from light damage and studies have shown that ingestion of lutein can help slow the aging, degeneration and disease of the eye and reduce the incidence of eye disease.

6.Blueberry extract:Ripe cranberry fruits are rich in flavonoids and used as an antioxidant anthocyanin. Healthy people or visually impaired patients who take cranberry extract alone or take β -carotene and vitamin E at the same time can significantly improve night vision, respond to darkness faster, and restore visual acuity faster after the eyes are exposed to light.

7.Rutin extract:Rutin extract can maintain vascular resistance, reduce its permeability, reduce brittleness and other effects, can be used for the prevention and treatment of cerebral hemorrhage, hypertension, retinal hemorrhage, purpura and acute hemorrhagic nephritis. In the food industry, rutin's bright yellow color can be used as a colorant in food and drink.

8.Hesperidin:Hesperidin, a flavonoid found in the skin of citrus fruits, has been shown to repair and prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition, hesperidin serves as vitamin kind medicine, have maintain blood vessel normal permeability, enhance blood capillary resistance, prevent the action of blood vessel rupture.

9.Inositol:Inositol can lower cholesterol in the human body. When people are aging, cholesterol in the body will increase, and at this time, it is easy to cause cardiovascular diseases due to cholesterol production. Secondly, as a bioactive hormone, inositol also has some other effects, such as promoting hair growth.

10. Ginkgo biloba juice and extract: Ginkgo biloba extract has a wide range of medicinal value and applications. Ginkgo biloba extract preparation can make the arteries, veins, and capillaries smooth, reduce blood viscosity, and promote brain circulation function, thus eliminating discomfort caused by excessive tension. If often taken, can make people energetic, work efficiency greatly improved, and ginkgo leaf extract has become an indispensable baby in modern fierce competition.