Acorus tatarrinowii Schott is a traditional Chinese herbal with a long history of medicinal application. It had been found in modern research that it contains many chemical components such as volatile oils,flavonoids,alkaloids,aminoacids,and saccharides,among which volatile oils are the principal active components. α-Asarone and β-asarone,the effective ingredients of volatile oils,are considered to have great potential for drug development due to their extensive bioactivities. Furthermore,the effects of α-asarone and β-asarone on nervous system disorders have aroused great concern worldwidely. To further investigate and develop the neuropharmacological effects of α-asarone and β-asarone as well as A. tatarrinowii,we review and discuss their underlying mechanisms in cerebral ischemia injury and ischemia-reperfusion injury in this article.