The medicinal utility of Rhizoma Corydalis has a long history, which is one of the 8 famous genuine medicianl materials of “Zhebawei”.The dried tubers of Rhizoma Corydalis in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition ) was authentic crude drugs of Rhizoma Corydalis type.Because of the historical reasons and differences medication habits in various places, many dried tubers of Rhizoma Corydalis type were used as crude drugs of Rhizoma Corydalis, which caused confusion in varieties and affected the safety and effectiveness of the medication.This paper systematically summarizes the historical evolution, plant sources, resources and distribution, chemical composition, efficacy, and application of the crude drugs of Rhizoma Corydalis type through herbal research and comparative literature research, in order to lay the foundation for the identification and quality control study of medicinal materials, and to provide references for the protection and rational use of Rhizoma Corydalis type medicinal plant resources.