Herbal textual research, through systematic collation and analysis of historical texts, clarifies the nomenclature and historical applications of medicinal materials, and serves as a key factor in ensuring their quality and clinical efficacy. This study primarily conducted a comprehensive textual investigation into the nomenclature, botanical origin, efficacy, harvesting and collection, processing and geo-authentic producing areas of Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) as recorded in historical herbal literature. Simultaneously, it systematically reviewed modern ecological research on the quality formation of geo-authentic Bupleuri Radix. The study identified three major shifts in the documented efficacy of Bupleuri Radix, ultimately establishing its current recognized functions of “dispelling pathogenic factors to relieve fever, soothing the liver to alleviate depression, and elevating yang qi” through three major revolutions. Furthermore, the geo-authentic producing areas of Bupleuri Radix have remained relatively stable historically, with their distribution centered on the adjoining region of Shaanxi and Henan provinces and gradually expanding outward along the watersheds of the Yellow River and the Wei River. Concurrently, modern research, from the perspective of interactions between ecological factors and microorganisms, elucidates the “stress effect” and the multidimensional regulatory network underlying the quality formation of Bupleuri Radix, thereby providing a theoretical basis for understanding the causes of its geo-authenticity. This study interprets the scientific connotation of dao-di herbs through the cross-verification of “traditional textual research” and “scientific inquiry”. It identifies ecological factors—ranging from water, heat, and light to microorganisms—as the core elements driving the formation ofthe geo-authentic quality of Bupleuri Radix. This provides a theoretical foundation for enhancing the quality of Bupleuri Radix, promoting in-depth resource development, and guiding rational clinical application.

Bupleuri Radix  /  textual research  /  geo-authenticity  /  quality formation  /  stress effect  /  ecological factors