Botany, chemistry, bio-activity, and application of Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce: a comprehensive review

Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (P. odoratum) is a perennial regions of Eurasia. As a traditional Chinese medicine of nourishing Yin and moistening dryness, it has a long history and has been widely used in the food and cosmetics industries. Since 1984, the research of P. odoratum has increased year by year, which has attracted the attention of scholars around the world. Except for a review in the food fields, there is no systematic and comprehensive summary. Using "Polygonatum odoratum" and "Yuzhu" (Chinese name as the search terms, this paper collected 80 articles closely related to P. odoratum from 1984 to 2025 in the international authoritative database (Springer, Web of Science, PubMed, ACS publications, ScienceDirect) and gave a systematic and comprehensive review of botany, chemistry, bioactivity, and application of P. odoratum. Botany includes plant distribution and botanical identification. One hundred and seventy-four chemical components are mainly divided into polysaccharides, flavonoids, saponins, and others; content determination involves ten monomeric compounds. The activity includes antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, antifungal, and antiviral aspects. The application covers two aspects: food and medicine. It is expected that this paper can provide prospective scientific thinking and literature support for the further modern research, development, and utilization of P. odoratum.