In this study, seedling, callus, cell, and adventitious root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. have been established. In order to find the best one for producing G. uralensis active constituents, triterpenoid saponins and flavonoids in native root and tissue cultures were determined, and the contents in different G. uralensis materials were analyzed using cluster analysis. The contents of triterpenoid saponins and glycyrrhizic acid in tissue cultures were much lower than that in native G. uralensis. The total flavonoids content we determined in adventitious root was 6.31 mg g(-1), which was close to that of native root (9.82 mg g(-1)). Based on the cluster analysis, we found that G. uralensis cultures were not suitable for production of glycyrrhizic acid, while adventitious root had a greater capability of flavonoids production comparing to seedling, callus, and cell.