Mineral elements are important to nutrient absorption and secondary metabolite accumulation in plants.Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Regel increasingly becomes scarce due to overexploitation.Consequently, it is imperative to address market demand through artificial cultivation and to explore the value of various plant tissues.We selected two sites with distinct altitude differences to collect roots, petioles, and leaves of both wild and cultivated R. tanguticum, determining the contents of sennoside A, gallic acid, emodin, and chrysophanol and analyzing 17 elements, including Ca, Na, Ba, and more, in the samples.Our results indicated that, except for emodin, the content of other bioactive compounds exhibited a decreasing trend from root to leaf.The wild rhubarbs were of higher quality at high altitudes, while the cultivated at lower altitudes had higher levels of anthraquinones.Meanwhile, significant differences were observed in the elemental content across different tissues, with a decreasing trend from aboveground to underground.A strong correlation existed between elements and bioactive compounds, with more pos. correlations observed in the roots.Elements such as B, Cr, Na, and Zn demonstrated a significant pos. correlation with the bioactive compoundsThis study provides scientific foundations for the quality identification and control of R. tanguticum.