ABSTRACT
Farfarae Flos (FF) is derived from the flower buds of Tussilago farfara, and belongs to the Compositae family. It is one of the commonly used herbal drugs in the clinic and industry of Chinese materia medica. FF contained a series of chemical components, such as sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acid, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Sesquiterpenes are present as the characteristic components in FF, and the quality evaluation indicator is tussilagone in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Bisabolane and oplopane are the main skeletons for sesquiterpenes in FF, and the reported sesquiterpenes possessed a series of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anticancer, neuroprotection, and platelet activating factor inhibition. This paper summarizes the chemical structures and biological activities of sesquiterpenes in FF, and provides the scientific basis for the further development and utilization.