Eucommia ulmoides is an important economic forest tree species in China, of which the different tissues and organs are widely used in traditional medicine for their abundant bioactive ingredients. Previous studies always focused on the Eucommia gum, a potential alternative to natural rubber because of its “rubber plastic duality”. In recent years, Eucommia has increasingly attracted more attention and interest for its excellent nutritional and economic value, with the deepening of research and the development of products involving in the application of bioactive ingredients. However, the dietary health effects and future application prospects of the bioactive components of E. ulmoides have not been systematically summarized. Therefore, we firstly reviewed the main bioactive ingredients category, structural characteristics, extraction methods and nutritive value. Furthermore, we also summarized the wide application of bioactive ingredients in food and medicine fields. Finally, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the safety and future development of products derived from E. ulmoides, as well as exploring potential applications for its bioactive constituents, aiming to facilitate further extensive investigation into its utilization.

Global warming impacts plant growth and development, which in turn threatens food security. Plants can clearly respond to warm-temperature (such as by thermomorphogenesis) and high-temperature stresses. At the molecular level, many small molecules play crucial roles in balancing growth and defense, and stable high yields can be achieved by fine-tuning the responses to external stimuli. Therefore, it is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying plant growth in response to heat stress and how plants can adjust their biological processes to survive heat stress conditions. In this review, we summarize the heat-responsive genetic networks in plants and crop plants based on recent studies. We focus on how plants sense the elevated temperatures and initiate the cellular and metabolic responses that allow them to adapt to the adverse growing conditions. We also describe the trade-off between plant growth and responses to heat stress. Specifically, we address the regulatory network of plant responses to heat stress, which will facilitate the discovery of novel thermotolerance genes and provide new opportunities for agricultural applications.