Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce: A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Mass Spectrometric Fragmentation, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Q-Marker Prediction.

Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (Angular Solomon's seal) is a medicinal and edible plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family. Phytochemical investigations have revealed its diverse chemical constituents. This review systematically summarized 174 small molecular compounds, including steroidal saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oil constituents, and others, as well as 18 polysaccharides isolated from P. odoratum. The mass fragmentation characteristics of representative steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids, and alkaloids are also summarized, providing valuable information for rapid compound identification and quality evaluation. Previous studies have demonstrated that extracts and isolated compounds from P. odoratum exhibit potential pharmacological activities, including antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, organ-protective, anti-obesity, and others effects. Based on chemical specificity, pharmacological relevance, and measurability, potential Q-markers, including steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids, polysaccharides, and other characteristic components, are proposed for further investigation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the traditional uses, phytochemical constituents, fragmentation characteristics, pharmacological properties, toxicology, and Q-marker prediction of P. odoratum, offering scientific insights for quality evaluation and further development of this medicinal and edible plant.