Pulsed electric field technology (PEF) was applied to Podophyllum peltatum as a novel approach to enhance the extraction of podophyllotoxin. Podophyllotoxin is a valuable for the treatment of cancer and venereal warts. However, the demand for podophyllotoxin exceeds the supply and conventional extraction methods are inefficient. A low energy pulse generator was used to perform PEF treatment with pulse frequency of 840 Hz and electric field intensity of 17.7 and 19.4 kV/cm for 5, 6, and 8 min of apparent treatment time. PEF treatment significantly changed the color and apparent viscosity of the samples. PEF treatment with 840 Hz rectangular pulses of 19.4 kV/cm for 6 min was successful in significantly raising the concentration of podophyllotoxin by up to 47%. Although the exact mechanism of electroplasmolysis of plant cells is unknown, the synergistic effect between temperature and PEF treatment enhanced the extraction of podophyllotoxin from P. peltatum. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.