Abstract: Soybean saponins are a kind of triterpenoid compound, which are secondary metabolites during the growth of soybeans, and mainly exist in cotyledons and hypocotyls of soybean seeds. Studies show that soybean saponins have a variety of biological activities, including antiviral, antitumor, obesity prevention and immune regulation. In this paper, the structure of soybean saponin monomer is listed, the physicochemical properties of soyabean saponin are introduced, and the factors affecting the content of soybean saponin are analyzed. Because of the different soybean varieties, planting environment and analysis methods, the content of soybean saponin is different. At present, the commonly used extraction methods of soybean saponins are solvent method, macroporous adsorption resin hair, chromatography separation, microwave extraction and ultrasonic extraction are also often used for auxiliary extraction of soybean saponins. The common detection methods of soybean saponins include spectrophotometry, thin layer chromatography, liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and colorimetry. Because of its unique physical and chemical properties and biological activities, soybean saponins are widely used in agriculture, food, medicine, cosmetics and other fields. However, the research and application of soybean saponins are limited because of the difficulty in extraction and purification of soybean saponins. Therefore, it is of great significance to improve the extraction rate of soybean saponins, optimize the extraction methods of soybean saponins, and make full and rational use of soybean saponins resources, which are of great significance for food development and drug development. The aim is to provide reference for the extraction and purification of soybean saponins and its further research.