Bupleuri Radix is a traditional staple Chinese medicinal material which has a wide range of medicinal values. However, with the increase of the international trade of Bupleuri Radix, its quality and safety issues have attracted much attention. Therefore, the establishment of international standards for Bupleuri Radix has important practical significance. In view of this, based on our foundation work on the standardization of Chinese medicine and international standards, this review systematically collates the quality standards of the major countries(regions) in which Bupleuri Radix is used, including the origin, macroscopic characteristics, microscopic characteristics, determination of marker compounds and extrinsic harmful contaminants. The existing problems and suggestions are also discussed in this review, which may provide reference for the study of the quality standard of Bupleuri Radix.
Keywords: Bupleuri Radix; international standards; quality control.