Soxhlet extraction has been used widely for extracting valuable bioactive compounds from various natural sources. In this extraction, a small amount of dry sample is placed in a thimble, which is placed in a distillation flask containing the solvent of particular interest.

The experimental Soxhlet extraction apparatus consists of a distillation flask, sample holder (thimble), siphon and condenser. A Soxhlet extraction procedure usually involves the following steps. First, the sample material is packed in filter paper and placed in the thimble.

Four different Extraction Methods are possible without making any changes to the unit : Soxhlet standard, Soxhlet warm, hot extraction and continuous extraction