A series of hydrophilic 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids were used as extractants for the effective extraction of S-(+)-glaucine from plant material of Glaucium flavum Crantz (Papaveraceae). The extractions were carried out both under ultrasonic and conventional heating conditions and the extraction efficiency was monitored by HPLC. The influence of the anion (chloride, bromide, acesulfarnate and saccharinate), alkyl chain length in the imidazolium ion, concentration, extraction time, and plant material/extractant ratio was investigated. A comparative study between conventional Soxhlet extraction with methanol as a solvent (total extraction) and water solutions of ILs shows the same extraction ability of ILs, but with significantly reduced extraction time. Moreover, the extraction efficiency was shown to be strongly anion dependent. The results obtained provide a fast and safe method for determination of glaucine in G. flavum Cr. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.