Abstract: Ionic liquids have good solubility,high thermal stability,chemical stability,and designability,therefore they are widely used for extracting natural products. This paper summarizes the application of imidazolium ionic liquid as extractants in the extraction of natural products,discusses the existing issues in extraction of natural products,and suggests the main solutions,which are the development of safe and functional ionic liquids and the efficient recovery of ionic liquids. This study lays the foundation for the application of ionic liquid in the extraction of natural products.