This paper summarized the evolution，processing methods，and evaluation indexes of Gastrodiae Rhizoma in the ancient and modern times by reviewing ancient materia medica monographs，medical classics，and modern articles.The natural producing areas of Gastrodiae Rhizoma gradually changed from Henan and Shandong to Yunnan and Sichuan.The field processing methods of Gastrodiae Rhizoma in ancient times mainly include sun drying and sun drying after peeling and steaming，while those in modern local Chinese medicine records mainly include sun drying or stoving after peeling and steaming.The field processing method of Gastrodiae Rhizoma is drying after peeling and steaming in the 1963 and 1977 editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and drying at low temperature after washing and steaming in the 1985 to 2020 editions.In addition，the quality evaluation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma has changed in different historical periods.In ancient times，big size was taken as the indicator of high quality.In modern materia medica monographs，the quality evaluation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma is based on texture，color，and odor in addition to size.In addition，modern studies evaluate the quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma based on chemical components such as extracts，phenols，polysaccharides，fingerprints，and pharmacodynamics.The lack of unified and specific field processing standards of Gastrodiae Rhizoma results in the different processing methods and uneven quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma in different producing areas.Therefore，it is urgent to formulate reasonable and feasible field processing methods and standards to regulate the processing of Gastrodiae Rhizoma in the producing areas and ensure the quality of medicinal materials.