Light brown Magnolia Bark Extract 10–95% Honokiol + Magnolol powder from Magnolia officinalis bark

Magnolia Bark Extract 10–95% total honokiol + magnolol / total phenols

The stem bark of Magnolia officinalis, the houpu magnolia of Chinese herbal practice, is the only source of this magnolia bark extract, which uses neither the flower buds and leaves nor other Magnolia species grown as ornamentals. Ethanol extraction concentrates the biphenyl neolignans of the bark, and the liquor is dried to a light brown powder.

The primary grade is 95% combined honokiol and magnolol by HPLC, with 10% as the lower end of the range. The powder is 80 mesh and insoluble in water. The 95% grade serves oil-based and capsule formats at very small fill weights, while the 10% grade is used where more of the bark matrix is wanted.

SKU: BOT-STX-0072 Category: Standardized Extracts Tags: Bark & Stem, Dry Blends & Premixes, Ethanol Extracted, Magnolia, Softgels & Oil Fills, Standardized Extracts

Honokiol & Magnolol Standardization & Grades

Honokiol and magnolol are the two characteristic lignans of magnolia bark. They are isomers of each other: both are biphenyl compounds carrying two allyl groups and two hydroxyl groups, and they differ only in where those groups sit on the rings. The grade sums the two compounds because the bark always carries both and because HPLC resolves them as separate peaks. The botanical entity is Magnolia officinalis Rehder & E.H.Wilson, and the part used is the bark.

Grade	Assay & Method	Where It Fits
10% Honokiol + Magnolol	HPLC	Dry blends keeping the bark matrix
95% Honokiol + Magnolol	HPLC	Softgels and capsules with minimal fill

Grade choice follows dose, fill weight and the amount of bark matrix a formula should carry. The 95% grade carries nearly ten times the lignan load per gram of the 10% grade. It reaches a target in a very small fill, and it behaves more like an isolated compound blend than like a botanical extract. The 10% grade keeps the other bark constituents, including alkaloids and volatile oil fragments, and is bulkier. The same bark is supplied as the unstandardized Magnolia Officinalis Extract Powder, the milled Magnolia Bark Powder and the purified Honokiol 98%.

The name of this product also mentions total phenols, but the grade is defined by the HPLC sum of the two lignans. A total phenol reading by colorimetry counts every phenolic compound in the bark and is not interchangeable with it. Buyers who compare magnolia bark extract quotes should check which method sits behind each percentage.

Honokiol & Magnolol Analysis & Purity Risks

Both grades are measured by HPLC, which separates honokiol from magnolol on a reversed-phase column, identifies each peak by retention time and UV spectrum, and adds the two named peaks for the combined figure. Because the compounds are isomers with the same molecular mass, mass spectrometry alone cannot tell them apart, and chromatographic separation is what makes the quantification reliable.

The fingerprint of the bark is led by magnolol and honokiol, with smaller peaks of the related lignans obovatol and 4-O-methylhonokiol and a group of alkaloids that elute earlier. The ratio of the two main lignans varies with the species and the age of the bark. A powder in which only one of the two is present may have been blended or may come from a different species, because the genuine bark carries both.

Sample preparation uses methanol or ethanol, because the lignans are not soluble in water, followed by sonication and filtration. Aqueous sample preparation would lose most of the marker and give a falsely low result.

Calibration deserves its own comment at the 95% end of the range. A near-pure powder is read at a high dilution so that the peaks stay within the linear range of the detector. The reference standards for both compounds must be weighed on a calibrated balance, because a small weighing error multiplies through the dilution. A magnolia bark extract reported at 95% should also show a clean baseline with few unidentified peaks, which is a fast visual check on whether the powder is as pure as the figure suggests.

Purity risks follow from the botany. Several Magnolia species, among them Magnolia obovata and Magnolia grandiflora, are also called magnolia, and the bark of the first is used in Japan as a related drug. Flower buds and leaves are separate drugs with a different chemistry. A species name, the bark as the stated part and the paired HPLC peaks protect identity better than a single total.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Magnolia officinalis
Plant Part	Bark & Stem
Processing	Ethanol Extraction
Compound Class	Lignans, Polyphenols
Common Name	Magnolia Bark, Houpu
Ingredient Type	Standardized Extract
Marker Compound(s)	Honokiol and magnolol (biphenyl neolignans of Magnolia officinalis bark)
Primary Grade	95% Honokiol + Magnolol (HPLC)
Available Grades	10% · 95% Honokiol + Magnolol (HPLC)
Appearance	Light Brown powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Insoluble in Water
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤5.0%
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Applications by Grade

95% Grade for Oil-Based Softgels

The lignans dissolve in oil far better than in water, so the 95% grade is dispersed or dissolved in a carrier oil for softgel fills. Gentle warming helps dissolution, and the fill should be checked for clarity and uniformity before encapsulation begins.

95% Grade in Compact Capsules

In hard capsules, the 95% grade is typically diluted with a flow carrier, because the powder is cohesive and a very small fill is difficult to meter. A pre-blend with a bulking agent and a content-uniformity check at each run are the main controls.

10% Grade for Tablet Blends

Tablets of the 10% grade combine the extract with a dry binder and an absorbent. The lipophilic powder is waxy and may stick to punches, so lubricant levels need attention, and a compression trial on the full blend shows whether hardness holds after storage.

10% Grade for Dry Herbal Compounds

At 10% the extract blends into dry herbal compounds beside other bark and root powders. Pre-mix it with a bulking agent so the insoluble, bitter powder spreads evenly and does not collect in the corners of the mixer.

Emulsified Powder Premixes

Beverage powders use the lipophilic grade only when it is predispersed with an emulsifier carrier, because the lignans do not dissolve in water. The resulting drink stays cloudy and has a bitter, numbing edge that mint or citrus flavors partly cover.

Technical & Quality Considerations

The extract is a light brown powder with a faint aromatic odor and a bitter, slightly numbing taste. It is insoluble in water, so it never clears in an aqueous drink and settles as a fine sediment. It dissolves in ethanol, in oils and in some surfactant systems, and the choice among them decides how the lignans behave in the finished product.

Honokiol and magnolol are phenols and can oxidize slowly in air and light, so protect them from long exposure and keep the drum closed. Strong alkali deprotonates the phenol groups and darkens the color, and iron contact can stain the powder. Because the 95% powder is potent and cohesive, weigh it in a ventilated station and pre-dilute it with a portion of the carrier before it enters the main blender, then verify content uniformity on the first batch. Compare each magnolia bark extract lot with a retained sample for color and odor, and schedule a clean-down between this powder and pale products, since the bitter note carries over easily.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.