"Dao-di herbs" is the original comprehensive index for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine, which has the characteristics of high quality and good effect. After more than 30 years of development, a large number of data, including text data, image data and other types, have been generated in the modern research on Dao-di herbs. It has the characteristics of large quantity, variety, scattered content and different structure, and the data types of each feature are isolated or less interrelated. Based on the literature published in CNKI journal database since 1999-2019, the data collection, selection and collation of 34 kinds of Dao-di herbs characteristics, micro characteristics, ecological characteristics and genetic characteristics were carried out. Using the knowledge base construction technology and combining these characteristics of the characteristics data of the herbs, the above characteristics data were standardized and regarded as a part of the knowledge base of the herbs. Based on a large number of data, this paper analyzes the knowledge composition, research status, comparison between modern and traditional producing areas of traditional Chinese medicine, and takes Salvia miltiorrhiza as an example to compare the ecological characteristics of modern and traditional producing areas. The construction of the knowledge base will facilitate the mining and utilization of the scientific data of Dao-di herbs, and provide resource management and basic guarantee for the transformation and promotion of scientific and technological achievements of Dao-di herbs.
Keywords: Dao-di herbs; characteristics of medicinal materials; knowledge base; literature data; producing area.