益母草Leonurus japonicas为临床常用大宗药材，具有活血调经、利水消肿、清热解毒的功效，常用于血滞经闭、痛经、经行不畅、水肿、小便不畅等病症。目前从益母草中已分离得到120余个化合物，包括生物碱、二萜、黄酮、苯乙醇苷、苯丙素、香豆素、三萜、有机酸、挥发油等类成分。益母草及其所含化学成分对子宫、心血管系统、血液、肾脏等有不同程度的作用，查阅近20年来的国内外文献，对益母草中已分离得到的化学成分与药理作用进行归纳总结，以期为益母草今后的研究开发提供参考。

Leonurus japonicas is a common clinical medicine, with the effect of activating blood circulation and regulating menstruation, inducing diuresis to alleviate edema, and clearing heat and detoxification. It has been used to treat menoxenia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, lochia, edema of the body, oliguresis, sores, ulcerations, and other diseases in human. Recently, more than 120 compounds, including alkaloids, diterpenes, flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, triterpene, organic acid, volatile oils and so on, have been isolated from L. japonicas. L. japonicas and its active ingredients have pharmacological effects in uterus, cardiovascular system, blood, and kidney. In this review, we summarized domestic and foreign literatures about chemical composition and pharmacological activity of L. japonicas in recent 20 years, in the hope of providing reference for further studies of L. japonicas.