Visualization Analysis of Global Trends and Hotspots in Intercropping and Crop Rotation of Medicinal Plants Based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer

Driven by increasing demand in the health and wellness industry, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) agriculture currently faces significant challenges related to supply–demand imbalances and continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs). Intercropping and crop rotation can mitigate yield decline and environmental stress by improving microclimates and rhizosphere ecology. However, there is still a lack of bibliometric synthesis within this research area. To analyze research hotspots and evolutionary trends, 192 articles on the intercropping and crop rotation of medicinal plants were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (1998–2025), including databases such as the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI). The results revealed a steady increase in publication volume over time. China emerged as the most prolific contributor (93 articles), while the United States occupied a pivotal position in the global collaborative network, achieving a high centrality of 0.90. Research hotspots in this field have evolved from an early emphasis on plant yield and quality toward the mechanisms for alleviating CCOs, interspecific interactions within the rhizosphere microbiome, and the ecological management of soil health. Keyword bursts indicate that “microbial community” and “carbon” have emerged as the current research frontiers. To clarify the micro-mechanisms by which intercropping and crop rotation patterns mitigate or prevent CCOs, future research should prioritize the integration of multi-omics approaches to resolve molecular interactions within the “microbe–plant–soil” nexus. Key priorities include the development of functional Synthetic Microbial Communities (SynComs) and the establishment of comprehensive evaluation systems for ecological cultivation. Furthermore, aligning these models with global climate neutrality strategies would facilitate the balance between high-quality medicinal production and ecosystem stability.