Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) were successfully employed as green alternatives to the traditional ones for the extraction of chlorogenic acid from herba artemisiae scopariae.

A green and inexpensive natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) was screened and integrated with an ultrasonic technique for extracting chlorogenic acid (CGA) from artemisiae scopariae herba. Response surface methodology was employed to investigate significant factors and optimize their influence. Proline–malic acid exhibited an excellent extraction capacity with a yield of 28.23 mg/g under the optimal conditions of water content of 15% (wt), solid–liquid ratio of 1.0/10 (g/mL), ultrasonic power of 300 W, and extraction time of 25 min. Simultaneously, the stability and antioxidant activity analysis exhibited a better performance of CGA in NADES than that in water and ethanol. The hydrogen-bonding interaction between CGA and natural deep eutectic molecules enhanced the stability and meanwhile protected the antioxidant activity of CGA.