西南中药材以其品种多、质优量大、历史悠久而驰名中外，素有＂川广云贵＂之称。其野生药用植物资源有５７００余种，占全国该类植物资源总种数的８０％左右，治疗各类疾病的药用植物和原料药原植物，几乎是应有尽有，是开发研制特效、速效和保健天然药物的宝库。本文论述了西南药用植物资源的特点、开发利用的现状和问题，并依据当今世界药物发展的趋势和西南资源的特点，提出了西南药用植物资源今后开发的战略和措施。

In Southwest China, the raw materials for making the traditional Chinese medicine are famous at home and abroad because of the richness of their varieties, high quality, large quantity and long history. The producing regions are traditionally known as "Chuan (Sichuan)-Guang (Guangdong and Guangxi)-Yun (Yunnan)-Gui(Guizhou)". There are about 5750 species of medicinal plants there, which account for eighty percent of the sum total of these resources in whole country. Almost all the original plants of crude drugs and all the medicinal plants for curing verious kinds of diseases can be found in the Southwest. Indeed,the Southwest is a treasure-house for developing new natural drugs and healthkeeping medicinces.