Medicinal plants have been identified and used throughout the human history. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been widely used in agriculture to improve the cultivation of many crops such as medicinal plants. They improve plant growth, secondary plant metabolites, antioxidants, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and promote plant diversity of medicinal plants. They also help in rehabilitation and reclamation of wasteland, biohardening, phytoremediation, soil aggregation and also help to control plant pathogens. They promote the accumulation of effective ingredients of medicinal plants, which have become a hot area of research. In this review we have assembled and summarized the effects of AM symbioses on secondary metabolites, antioxidant, photosynthesis, and mineral nutrition of medicinal plants. AM are associated with bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms, and in some floating and submerged aquatic plants. Mycelial networks of mycorrhizal fungi often connect plant root systems over broad areas.
