Pióro-Jabrucka E., Pawełczak A., Przybył J.L., Bączek K., Węglarz Z.

Euphorbia hirta is an annual plant grownig commonly in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa as well as Central and South America. Extracts from herb reveal diastolic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and anthelminthic effects. Biologically active compounds of this plant are sterols, saponins, flavonoids and phenolic acids. The results of this study indicate that obtaining relatively high yield of herb and well germinating seeds which retain their germinability after two years of storage is possible in Poladn. Chemical analysis of the herb and callus obtained in vitro has shown that these raw materials accumulate phenolic compounds and sterols in high quantities.

Key words: seeds, herb, callus, flavonoids, phenolic acids, sterols