Jie Zhang¹ , Yincheng Zhao²

1 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
2 Tropical Medicinal Plant Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Biological Evidence, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 4   
Received: 01 Jul., 2026    Accepted: 03 Aug., 2026    Published: 15 Aug., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. is one of the most important cultivated medicinal plants in East Asia. Its market value depends on a balance among yield, rhizome appearance, the reputation of genuine medicinal materials (Daodi herbs), and the accumulation of bioactive compounds such as atractylone and atractylenolides. The quality of A. macrocephala is not determined by a single factor, but by the combined effects of planting materials, ecological conditions, rhizosphere microbial communities, cultivation practices, harvest timing, and post-harvest processing. This review explains how cultivation practices influence rhizome growth and the formation of medicinal quality in A. macrocephala. Studies from major production areas, including Pan'an and Tiantai in Zhejiang Province, show that ecological suitability and a balanced rhizosphere microbial community are closely associated with the accumulation of bioactive compounds and commercial grade. Current evidence supports a shift from production systems focused mainly on high yield to quality-oriented systems with strong regional characteristics. Germplasm selection, soil health, ecological adaptation, and standardized post-harvest processing should be managed as an integrated quality formation chain. These factors will continue to serve as the foundation for future quality standardization of A. macrocephala.

Atractylodes macrocephala; Medicinal plant cultivation; Rhizome quality; Atractylenolides; Daodi medicinal materials; Zhejiang; Continuous cropping; Post-harvest processing