Angelica sinensis （Oliv.） Diels is a major traditional Chinese medicinal herb， and the exploration of its mutant strains is of great significance for the innovation of A. sinensis germplasm resources and functional genomics research. To analyze the dwarf phenotype of naturally occurring dwarf strains and the effects of plant growth inhibitors （PGIs） on the growth and development normally growing of A. sinensis at the medicinal maturation stage. The foliar sprays of chlormequat （CCC） and paclobutrazol （PP333） （two common PGIs） were applied to normal A. sinensis plants at the medicinal maturation stage. The effects of PGIs on plant phenotype， early bolting and growth at the medicinal maturation stage were observed. The mechanisms underlying the dwarf phenotype and dwarfing growth induced by natural mutation and PGI treatment were analyzed， the role of gibberellins （GAs） in early bolting of A. sinensis was clarified， and the feasibility of using PGIs to reduce the early bolting rate and increase the yield of medicinal roots was discussed. Naturally occurring dwarf mutant strains were found in A. sinensis under natural growth conditions. Foliar application of CCC and PP333 solutions to normal A. sinensis plants not only led to the loss of elongation ability of reproductive organs （e.g.， bolting stems） in early-bolting plants， but also caused dwarfism in non-early-bolting plants at the vegetative growth stage， with no significant effect on the early bolting rate （P>0.05）. This result was supported by the epigenetic regulation theory related to plant vernalization mechanism and the direction of developmental transition. The early bolting of field-grown A. sinensis at the medicinal maturation stage may be independent of the GA-mediated flowering regulation pathway， and foliar application of CCC and PP333 has no significant effect on alleviating early bolting. This study revealed the phenotypic variation characteristics of A. sinensis dwarf mutants and the effect of PGIs on early bolting， which lays a foundation for the exploration and utilization of high-quality mutant germplasm resources， and provides important guidance for the rational application of PGIs in A. sinensis cultivation.