What is the difference in development of natural products as a pure, well-defined substances and as a complex extract?

Question

Differences in development (main question)?

Variation in active substances in an extract or always the same?

Answer 1

Let's start from the second question: Variation in active substances in an extract or always the same?

Absolutely not. Whatever you are extracting, there will be some differences. This is the very reason why the wines from the same vineyard taste differently every year.

Differences in development (main question)?

The real question is actually what do you want to achieve, on what scale and what are the boundaries of variation.

Extraction is easier to scale up for industrial production, the product is way cheaper than to mix pure components (that are either synthetized or extracted?!) and if the variation is in acceptable boundaries - why not producing it by extracting