Rhodiola rosea is a kind of perennial herbaceous plant. It mainly grows in the area of high cold, dry, hypoxia, strong ultraviolet radiation and large temperature difference between day and night at the altitude of 1600~4000 meters. It has strong environmental adaptability and vitality. Salidroside is the main active ingredient and has many pharmacological effects. At present, salidroside has be-come the focus of domestic and foreign scholars. In this paper, the distribution, properties, struc-ture, extraction, determination and pharmacological effects of salidroside were reviewed, providing reference for further study of salidroside.