Medicinal plants produce secondary metabolites, which have pharmaceutical efficacy in diverse diseases. Plant-derived secondary metabolites are utilized in different industrial sectors including pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and agrochemical. Reportedly, 80% of the global population rely on medicinal plants for primary health care. The increasing commercial demand of secondary metabolites in recent years has, thus, led to the adoption of different strategies to improve secondary metabolite production in plants. Optimization of biological resources to enhance the productivity of plants is an important way to create sustainable bioeconomy for the 21st century. With a score of studies reporting the positive impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on producing important secondary metabolites in medicinal plants, this article reviews the status quo of AMF-medicinal plant association. Furthermore, it critically discusses the influence of symbiotic association on plant primary metabolism, which ultimately regulates secondary metabolite production and accumulation. The review introduces the symbiotic association between AMF and medicinal plants, followed by a brief account of plant metabolites’ roles in establishing and maintaining the symbiosis. In continuation, the influence of AMF on different medicinally important secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenoids are briefly discussed. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of AMF-mediated accumulation of secondary metabolites are discussed, including the plant’s response mechanism to AMF colonization encompassing the morphological, physiological, and molecular responses. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the prospects of mycorrhizal technology in sustainable cultivation practices of medicinal plants.

药用植物产生次生代谢产物，对多种疾病具有药效。植物衍生的次生代谢产物用于不同的工业领域，包括药品、食品、化妆品和农用化学品。据报道，全球 80% 的人口依赖药用植物进行初级卫生保健。因此，近年来对次生代谢物的商业需求不断增加，导致采用不同的策略来提高植物次生代谢物的产量。优化生物资源以提高植物生产力是创造21世纪可持续生物经济的重要途径。大量研究报告了丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）对药用植物产生重要次生代谢产物的积极影响，本文综述了 AMF-药用植物协会的现状。此外，它批判性地讨论了共生关联对植物初级代谢的影响，最终调节次生代谢产物的产生和积累。该评论介绍了 AMF 与药用植物之间的共生关系，接下来简要介绍植物代谢物在建立和维持共生中的作用。接下来，AMF 对不同药用重要次生代谢物（如生物碱、简要讨论了类黄酮、酚类和萜类化合物。此外，还讨论了 AMF 介导的次生代谢物积累的潜在机制，包括植物对 AMF 定植的反应机制，包括形态、生理和分子反应。总之，本文强调了菌根技术在药用植物可持续栽培实践中的前景。