Abstract: Alkaloids are a large class of secondary metabolites in plants with significant pharmacological activity. As the active ingredients of many Chinese herbal medicines, they have great application value in clinical medicine. However, most alkaloids have obvious toxic effects and can be transmitted into the human body through the food chain, becoming an emerging potential risk factor for public health. This article reviews the types, sources and analytical methods of high-risk toxic and harmful alkaloids in food, aiming to provide warnings and reference for the detection and research of toxic and harmful alkaloids and the policy formulation of relevant regulatory authorities.