Abstract: Plant kingdom is rich in many kinds of natural substances which are beneficial to human health and play a certain auxiliary function to human health. Ellagic acid is a natural polyphenol dilactone found in many fruits and nuts. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of bacterial growth and other biological activities, and has great application potential in cancer treatment and disease prevention. Many scholars at home and abroad have conducted in-depth studies on the biological activities of ellagic acid, which has a wide application prospect in the treatment of human diseases, tumors and production and life. In this paper, the extraction and purification methods of ellagic acid, as well as the studies on anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and other biological activities of ellagic acid were summarized, providing certain reference for the subsequent research on ellagic acid.