Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset, commonly seen in the elderly and with increasing incidence, for which there is still no effective treatment. Medicinal and edible homologous substances refer to substances that are both food and traditional Chinese medicine, and have received widespread attention due to their safety and good therapeutic and health effects. This paper describes the pathogenesis of AD, and summarizes the anti-AD mechanism of medicinal and edible homologous substances from the aspects of slowing down the deposition of β-amyloid, inhibiting the over-phosphorylation of Tau protein, improving the cholinergic system, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and protection of neurons and synapses, so as to provide references for the development and application of medicinal and edible homologous substances products.