Unraveling Microbial-Metabolite Interaction Mechanisms in the Quality Formation of Traditional Herbal Medicines: An Integrative Study of Metagenomics, Metabolomics, and Quality Evaluation for Two Commodity Specifications of Codonopsis Pilosula

Due to the impact of various environmental factors, in conjunction with the ecological adaptability and biochemical diversity of Chinese medicinal materials, Codonopsis pilosula from Shanxi Province has developed into two distinct commercial specifications, namely Tai Codonopsis pilosula (TCP) and Lu Codonopsis pilosula (LCP). The present study examined the relationships between TCP and LCP from Shanxi Province regarding their environment, secondary metabolites, and Traditional Chinese Medicinal plant authenticity using metagenomic, metabolomic, and comprehensive quality assessment methods. The findings revealed that the two types of CPs met the quality standards.