Abstract: The incidence and mortality of cancer are increasing year by year, which seriously threatens human health. 6-Shogaol, as one of the main active components in ginger, has become the focus of attention in recent years due to its advantages of safety and low toxicity. Moreover, it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor and other pharmacological effects. Particularly, its anti-tumor activity has received increasing attention. This paper reviews the anti-tumor mechanism of 6-shogaol, including inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell apoptosis, arrest of cell cycle, inhibition of cell migration and invasion, effect of autophagy in tumor cells, etc., in order to provide ideas for further research, development and application of 6-shogaol in anti-tumor.