Chinese yam， rich in active constituents such as polysaccharide， saponin and allantoin， has functions of antioxidation， anti-aging， antimutation， anti-tumor and immunoregulation. It is beneficial for treating deficient spleen， weak lung， diabetes， cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. By consulting literatures， the recent researches on active constituents in Chinese yam were summarized with a focus on the research progresses of extractive techniques and pharmacological functions of active constituents including polysaccharide， allantoin， saponin， pigment and dehydroepiandrosterone （DHEA）. To deal with problems of insufficient research on products， active constituents and pharmacological functions of Chinese yam， it is proposed to intensify relevant study， replace artificial materials （pharmaceutical excipients and coating） with components of Chinese yam， and develop multiple health products to satisfy different people.