Insights into Genus Codonopsis: From past Achievements to Future Perspectives

Codonopsis plants, as a kind of medicinal and edible herb, have a long history of application and have been widely concerned by pharmacists and biologists. In this article, the species diversity, taxonomy and distribution, ethnic medicinal records, chemical composition, pharmacological activity, and quality evaluation methods of Codonopsis species were systematically reviewed. In addition, the research progress of Codonopsis plants using biotechnology in recent years was summarized. The phytochemistry and biological activities of Codonopsis are widely evaluated. To date, more than 350 compounds have been isolated from Codonopsis. Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides are important functional components and biomarkers. Lobetyolin, atractylenolide III, tangshenoside I, and oligosaccharide can be considered as characteristic index components to evaluate the quality of Codonopsis plants. Although recent experimental evidence has confirmed the pharmacological value of this genus, its quality control, resource development and utilization, and active ingredient synthesis mechanisms are not well studied. In particular, molecular biology research is still in its infancy, but its application prospects are broad, and it is a hot spot for future research on Codonopsis. Therefore, it is urgent to conduct a detailed study on the single level of phytochemistry, pharmacology, and molecular biology of Codonopsis to establish a scientific evaluation system and modern medication guidelines. The multi-angle, multi-level, and multi-aspect integrated association analysis is also an inevitable trend for the future in-depth study of Codonopsis plants. This research status was summarized in order to provide a broader scientific research idea and theoretical reference for the in-depth study of Codonopsis.