Based on the herbal books of past dynasties,modern monographs,and current standards,this study performed herbal textual research on Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus to provide references and a basis for its development and utilization.According to the research,the origin was clearly identified in the Tang and Song dynasties as the pseudobulb of Cremastra appendiculata(D.Don) Makino.After the Ming dynasty,the Tulipa edulis(Miq.) Baker and the Iphigenia indica Kunth.(the local variety) were added.Until the Qing dynasty,the Dioscorea bulbifera L.,a plant from a different family,was used as the source of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus.The results showed that due to the extensively existing foreign drugs with the same name in ancient times,the varieties were not clear,and there were many adulterants.In modern times,the origins of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus were consistent with the current Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition).In the past dynasties,the producing areas of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus were mainly Jiangsu and Zhejiang,and then expanded to Jiangxi,Hunan,and Guangxi.In modern times,those produced in Sichuan and Guizhou were preferred.It is mostly harvested in summer and autumn from June to August.After the removal of the aboveground part and sediment and separation according to sizes,it is thoroughly boiled in a pot of boiling water and then dried.The pseudobulb is used as medicine,and the processed products are mostly raw products.According to the origin and market investigation,the products of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus were gradeless without specific specifications and grades.Since the existing standards fail in specifying the content determination indicators and there are many counterfeits,mixed products,and local habitual products of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus,it is urgent to clarify its characteristic quality indicators and further improve the quality standards of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus/Pleiones Pseudobulbus based on the product specifications and grades to promote the overall quality and price of medicinal materials,effective clinical application,and safety evaluation.