Effects of plants-associated microbiota on cultivation and quality of Chinese herbal medicines

Microbial resource influences the life activities of medicinal plants from several perspectives. Endophytes, rhizosphere microorganisms, and other environmental microorganisms play essential roles in medicinal plant growth and development, plant yield, and clinical efficacy. The microbiota can influence the biosynthesis of active compounds in medicinal plants by stimulating specific metabolic pathways. They induce host plants to improve their resistance to environmental stresses by accumulating secondary metabolites. Microorganisms can interact with their host plants to produce long-term, targeted selection results and improve their ability to adapt to the environment. Due to the interdependence and interaction between microorganisms and medicinal plants, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) quality is closely related to the associated microorganisms. This review summarizes the relationship between medicinal plants and their associated microorganisms, including their species, distribution, life activities, and metabolites. Microorganisms can aid in quality control, improve the efficacy of medicinal plants, and provide markers for identifying the origin and storage time of CHMs. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between microorganisms and medicinal plants will help to control the quality of CHMs from different perspectives.