The genus Polygonum is a source of a wide range of phenolic compounds, flavanoids anthraquinones, stilbenes and tannins.1) Many species of Polygonum (Polygonum chinensis,2) Polygonum persicaria, 3) Polygonum viscosum, 4)Polygonum hydropiper 5) ) are valued for their medicinal properties. Polygonum multiflorum THUNB, a perennial vine-like herb, is one of the most important and widely used Chinese medicinal herbs of the family Polygonaceae. The vine is called Ye-Jiao and the root tubers are called Ho-shou-wu, which are used as tonic and in many remedies in traditional Chinese medicine. 6,7) Ethnopharmacologically, it is a tonic for anemia, neurasthenia, and hypercholesterolemia and clinically used for the treatment of coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, neurosis, and other diseases commonly associated with aging. 8)The active principles were identified as the antioxidant anthraquinones-emodin and physcion 9) (Fig. 1). Many researchers have demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity in the crude water extracts of the roots of P. multiflorum. [10][11][12] Myocardial protective effects of an anthraquinone containing extracts of P. multiflorum under ex vivo conditions have been demonstrated. 13,14) Studies on P. multiflorum extracts indicate that it enhances the cellular antioxidant activity, increases the function of superoxide dismutase, significantly inhibits the formation of oxidized lipids, 8) and represses lipid peroxidation in rat heart mitochondria 10,15) and carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity 16) in rats. The stilbene components of the roots inhibit lipid peroxidation induced by adenosine 5Ј-diphosphate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate in rat liver microsomes. 17)The aims of our present investigation were 1) to establish a method for complete plant regeneration of P. multiflorum by induction and proliferation of adventitious shoots from nodes; and 2) to analyze the content of the anthraquinonesemodin and physcion in commercially available crude drug (processed underground or stem parts of P. multiflorum) in vitro grown shoots and in vitro propagated plants of P. multiflorum.There are reports on the in vitro propagation of rare, endangered aromatic and medicinal plants. [18][19][20] Tissue culture protocols have been extensively used for the in vitro propagation, germplasm conservation, and production of pharmaceutically important bioactive compounds. 21,22) The quality and quantity of the bioactive compounds in the plants depend on the strain as well as growth place.23) Genetically homogenous plants with uniform contents of secondary metabolites can be obtained by in vitro propagation of plants either by somatic embryogenesis 24) or shoot organogenesis. 25) To date, however, to the best of our knowledge there are no reports on the in vitro propagation of P. multiflorum. Development of a rapid in vitro propagation system for P. multiflorum would help in conserving the germplasm and allowing the commercial cultivation of this medicinally important species. This is also the f...

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