Chrysophanol is one of the effective monomers of anthraquinones that extracted from traditional Chinese medicine. It exists in the form of free aglycon in rhubarb，fleeceflower root，polygonum cuspidatum，cassia，pinellia，etc. Studies have found that chrysophanol has good pharmacological activities in neuroprotection，anti-oxidation，anti-cancer，anti-inflammatory，antibacterial and anti-virus，and promotion of fat metabolism. Although there are many studies on the pharmacological activity of chrysophanol，the overall review of it is relatively few. This article provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacological effects of chrysophanol，and provides valuable references for further research and clinical applications.