Bączek K.

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus/Rupr. et Maxim./Maxim.) is a shrub native to north-eastern Asia. Underground parts of this plant are classified as a drug with adaptogenic activity. Eleutherosides are regarded as main active compounds of this plant. The studies on cultivation and raw material quality of eleuthero were undertaken in the Department of Vegetable and Medicinal Plants of Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW. The content of eleutherosides B and E and phenolic acids in the raw materials were determined by HPLC. The total content of eleutherosides B and E in the dried rhizomes with roots exceeded considerably the content of these compounds required by the British Pharmacopoeia (80 mg/100 g). In the raw material of two-, three- and four-year-old plants it amounted to 104.7, 167.4 and 292.4 mg/100 g, respectively. The content of eleutherosides in the bark of woody stems was almost twice as high as the content of these compounds in the rhizomes with roots. Both rhizomes with roots and bark of woody stems were characterised by high content of phenolic acids, especially chlorogenic acid (849.8 and 421.0 mg/100 g, respectively).

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