The essential oils of Elscholtzia ciliata and the cultivated tissue have been studied. The composition and contents of essential oils were identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The main component of essential oils of E. ciliata was naginata ketone. The essential oils from the flowers, leaves and stems of E. ciliata showed similar patterns of gas chromatogram. In experimental studies on the tissue culture of callus, it has been found that NAA induced higher growth rate and higher content of essential oils than 2, 4-D. The essential oils from the cultivated callus showed different composition from that of mother plants.