Progress in the studies on responses of medicinal plants to drought stress including changes of appearance, physiological adaptation, biochemistry response and molecular mechanisms were summarized. Committed steps of controlled experiment of medicinal plants to drought stress were proposed considering the characteristics of medicinal plants, which will provide rationale basis for clear elaboration of the responses of medicinal plant to the drought stress.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Droughts ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; physiology ; Water ; metabolism