Since the last decade, there is enhanced interest for the use of Microwaves for the extraction (MAE) of the constituents of plant material. This review gives a brief theoretical background on MAE the principles and the types of instruments used have been presented. The main parameters like microwave power, extraction time, solvents, temperature and effect of stirring, etc., which influence the MAE have been discussed. Through numerous examples, it is demonstrated that this technique allows reduced solvent consumption and shorter extraction times, while the extraction yields of the analytes is equivalent to or even higher than those obtained with other extraction processes generally employed for extraction.