Medicinal Zicao is a traditional Chinese medicine that is recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.It is mainly used in clinical practice such as cooling blood,invigorating the circulation of blood,detoxification and clearing rash.The chemical components of medicinal Zicao mainly consist of liposoluble and water-soluble parts.Among them,liposoluble quinones are the main active components,including shikonins and its dimers,shikonofurans,benzoquinones,phenols and other meroterpenoids.It has been shown that these chemical components exhibit significant activities in cytotoxic,antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,antibacterial and antiviral effect,etc.In recent years,they have attracted wide attention,especially on the anti-tumor activity throughout the world.For further investigation of Zicao,the progress in the anti-tumor,antibacterial,antiviral,anti-inflammatory and other activities of shikonins,shikonin dimers,shikonofurans,benzoquinones,phenols and other meroterpenoids from medicinal Zicao in recent years have been reviewed and discussed.This article aims to assist discovery and identification of more natural quinones from Boraginaceae plants and provide reference for the development and utilization of medicinal Zicao.