Nepeta tenuifolia (N. tenuifolia) is a common aromatic herb that is widespread in East Asia. The aerial parts and spikes can be used as the traditional phytomedicines for the treatment of cold, fever, respiratory diseases, and skin diseases in the clinic and as a vegetable in salads or cooked foods. These applications have lasted for thousands of years due to their outstanding performance. In this review, with the help of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and CNKI, we have summarized the research achievements made in recent years on the various aspects of N. tenuifolia, covering botany, traditional uses, processing, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and pharmaceutics. A total of 102 phytochemicals have been found and identified in N. tenuifolia, which were grouped into terpenoids, flavonoids, organic acids and other components, including many bioactive compounds such as pulegone, hesperidin, and rosmarinic acid. This plant has also exhibited antiviral, immunoregulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and miscellaneous bioactivities, including antitumour, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and antithrombus activities. The progress to date has provided basic and strong evidence to support the traditional uses of this herbal medicine. However, the present explanations seem insufficient and unsatisfactory, in term of the relationships between the traditional uses and the modern pharmacological actions, the action mechanisms and the material basis. Therefore, in the future, some comprehensive studies should be well designed for further understanding the development and utilization of N. tenuifolia.

荆芥（N. tenuifolia）是一种常见的芳香草药，广泛分布于东亚。地上部分和穗状花序可以用作诊所中治疗感冒，发烧，呼吸道疾病和皮肤病的传统植物药，也可以用作色拉或熟食中的蔬菜。这些应用程序由于其出色的性能已经持续了数千年。在这篇综述中，我们借助PubMed，Web of Science，Google Scholar，Baidu Scholar和CNKI，总结了近年来在N. tenuifolia各个方面取得的研究成果，涵盖了植物学，传统用途，加工，植物化学，药理学和药物学。总共发现并鉴定了102种植物化学物质。藤叶猪笼草，分为萜类化合物，类黄酮，有机酸和其他成分，包括许多生物活性化合物，例如pulegone，橙皮苷和迷迭香酸。该植物还表现出抗病毒，免疫调节，抗炎，抗氧化和其他生物活性，包括抗肿瘤，抗糖尿病，抗菌和抗血栓活性。迄今为止的进展为支持这种草药的传统用法提供了基础和有力的证据。然而，就传统用途与现代药理作用之间的关系，作用机理和物质基础而言，目前的解释似乎不足且不令人满意。因此，在将来，应该精心设计一些综合研究，以进一步了解该技术的开发和利用。N. tenuifolia。