Abstract: Butyric acid is an important source of energy for human colonic cecum epithelial cells and plays an important role in maintaining intestinal stability and preventing colorectal cancer. Butyric acid also has the function of inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells,enhancing the immune function of the body,and preventing colitis. Butyric acid is not only an important raw material for synthetic fragrances and other fine chemical products,but also widely used in food and pharmaceuticals. In addition to the chemical production of butyric acid,the use of microbial fermentation to produce butyric acid,an environmentally friendly biological production method,has also received widespread attention. This paper mainly reviews the chemical and biosynthesis methods of butyric acid,as well as the physiological functions of butyric acid in intestinal micro-ecology and intestinal mucosa,enteritis,intestinal cancer and intestinal immunity,in order to further study the mechanism of butyric acid's physiological function and provide a theoretical reference for the application in food and medicine.