Abstract: As the main active component in ginseng, ginsenoside is widely used in food and medicine. Ginsenosides have different properties and functions due to their different chemical structures. The content of rare ginsenosides with high activity is very low in nature, which limits the utilization. It is an important way to obtain rare ginsenosides by transforming high content ginsenosides into rare ginsenosides through different methods. Based on the structure and pharmacology of ginsenosides, this paper reviews the effects of biotransformation on the glycosyl hydrolysis and parent nucleus structure of ginsenosides, and it analyzes the application status and future development trend of rare ginsenosides in food and medicine, providing a theoretical basis for improving the application of ginsenosides resources.