Gloriosa superba L.belongs to the genus of Liliaceae.A large number of academic studies have reported that there are mainly seven alkaloids in the roots and tubers of Gloriosa superba L.,such as colchicine,β-lumi(-)-colchicine,r-colchicine,1,2-dimethylcolchicine,2,3-demethylcolchicine,3-demethylcolchicine and so on.In addition,it has been reported that the whole plant of Gloriosa superba L.also contains glycosides,flavonoids,steroids,terpenoids,saponins,steroids,phenols and resins.A number of modern pharmacological studies have pointed out that Gloriosa superba L.extract has a variety of anticancer effects,such as anti-gout,antibacterial,anti-pancreatic cancer,anti-colon cancer,a nti-oral can-cer,anti-cervical cancer,anti-liver cancer,anti-lung cancer,anti-breast cancer and so on.Gloriosa superba L.also has a variety of pharmacological activities,such as anti-dandruff disease,anti-inflammatory and analgesic,anti-oxidation,anti-ulcer and so on,but most of them are not clear about their mechanism and need to be further studied.As Gloriosa su-perba L.has gradually become the main source of colchicine in modern research,the determination method of colchicine in Gloriosa superba L.has also become an important aspect of the research and utilization of Gloriosa superba L..The main methods are high performance thin layer chromatography(HPTLC),liquid phase high resolution high precision mass spectrometry(LC-HRMS),high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).The author summarizes the related studies of Gloriosa superba L.from the aspects of chemical composition,pharmacological action,quality research and so on,in order to provide a scientific theoretical basis for the further development and utilization of Gloriosa superba L..