Abstract: Chelidonium majus is a kind of very high prospects for the development of new medicinal plants.The main active ingredient of Chelidonium majus is chelerythrine.Chelerythrine is a benzo phenanthridine alkaloids and has antiinflammatory,antimicrobial and other biological activity.There were many methods to extract chelerythrine,this paper introduces three timesaving extraction methods for chelerythrine extraction such as microchip electrophoresis separation,microwave assisted extraction and macroporous adsorption resin.In addition,this paper describes the mechanism of chelerythrine in antiinflammatory,antibacterial,antitumor and protective effect on gastric ulcer.This paper will provide a theoretical basis for the development of chelerythrine as bioactive substances.

Key words: chelerythrine, biological activity, mechanisms