Abstract: Investigating the effects of short-term medicinal herb intercropping on soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activity of bamboo plantation can provide guidance for bamboo-herb intercropping patterns and screen suitable medicinal herbs with Neosinocalamus affinis bamboo stand. The study was performed in N. affinis plantations with two different bamboo densities (D1: 8400 plants·hm⁻², D1: 11200 plants·hm⁻²). Four medicinal herbs: Bletilla striata (T1), Polygonatum cyrtonema (T2), Polygonatum sibiricum (T3), and Polygonatum kingianum (T4) were planted in the stand, with no medicinal herb as control. In order to understand the impact of bamboo-herb intercropping on plantation soil, a one-year intercropping experiment was conducted to determine the growth indicators of medicinal herbs, soil physicochemical properties, and soil enzyme activity in the test stand. The results showed that short-term intercropping with four medicinal herbs reduced soil water content, bulk density, pH, total phosphorus and potassium nutrient abundance, but increased available phosphorus and potassium content and acid phosphatase activity. In the D1 test stand, the four medicinal herbs had higher newly underground root (block) stem mass, but soil organic matter and nitrogen nutrient content decreased. T1 and T2 mode showed higher soil nutrient content and enzyme activity, while T4 was the lowest of the four modes. In summary, intercropping could reduce soil bulk density and enhance the effectiveness of plantation soil nutrients by increasing soil enzyme activity. Higher yields could be achieved at the D1 test stand, but organic fertilizer should to be applied to supplement soil fertility. Among these medicinal herbs, B. striata and P. cyrtonema were more suitable for intercropping under the N. affinis forest.