青钱柳 (Cyclocarya paliurus (Batalin)) Iljinskaja (C. paliurus) 是核桃科青钱柳属的单一种。是我国特有的珍稀药用植物资源，主要分布于我国南方。青蒿叶作为一种新的食品原料，在日常生活中被加工成茶制品。三萜类化合物是青钱柳的主要活性成分。迄今为止，已从青钱柳中分离鉴定出164种三萜类化合物，包括3,4-仲达玛烷、达玛烷、齐墩果烷、乌苏烷、羽扇豆烷、蒲公英烷和正花烷烷等。现代药理研究表明，这些成分在体外和体内均具有广泛的药理活性，如降血糖、降血脂、抗肿瘤、抗炎、抗氧化等活性。此外，目前的研究结果表明，三萜类化合物的药理机制与其化学结构、分子信号通路以及相关蛋白的表达密切相关。为了进一步深入研究青花柳的研究现状，本文从结构特征、质量控制、生物活性、构效关系等方面对青花柳三萜类化合物进行了展望和系统总结，为青花椒三萜类化合物在功能食品和医药领域的进一步研究和应用提供参考。

Cyclocarya paliurus (Batalin) Iljinskaja (C. paliurus) is a single species of Cyclocarya paliurus in Juglandaceae. It is a unique rare medicinal plant resource in China that is mainly distributed in the south of China. The leaves of C. paliurus, as a new food ingredient, are processed into tea products in daily life. Triterpenoids are the main active ingredient in C. paliurus. So far, 164 triterpenoid compounds have been isolated and identified from C. paliurus, which are included 3,4-seco-dammaranes, dammaranes, oleanane, ursane, lupinanes, taraxeranes, and norceanothanes. Modern pharmacological studies manifested that these ingredients have a wide range of pharmacological activities both in vitro and in vivo, such as reducing blood sugar, lowering blood lipids, and anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and other activities. In addition, current results indicate that the pharmacological mechanisms of triterpenoids were closely related to their chemical structure, molecular signaling pathways, and the expression of related proteins. In order to further study C. paliurus based on the current research situation, this review summarizes the prospect and systematic summary of the triterpenes of C. paliurus from the aspects of structural characteristics, quality control, biological activity, and the structure-activity relationship, which provide a reference for further research and application of the triterpenoids from C. paliurus in the field of functional food and medicine.