Abstract Hydrolyzable tannins and products of their hydrolysis, ellagic acid (EA) and gallic acid (GA), are important con-stituents of many medicinal plants and exhibit various biological activities. Geum rivale and G. urbanum are traditional herbal remedies rich in tannin compounds. The aim of the study was to quantitate free and total EA and GA in aerial and underground parts of G. rivale and G. urbanum. After optimization of extraction, both compounds were quantitated by reversed phase HPLC (RP-HPLC). EA was more abundant than GA in the inves-tigated material, and underground parts of G. rivale were the richest source of total EA and GA.