Abstract: Silymarin is a kind of flavonoid compound with various pharmacological effects such as scavenging reactive oxygen species, anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-tumor. By reviewing a large number of related literature, found that silymarin has a better preventive and curative effect on various liver diseases. With the deepening of basic research, silymarin can also promote the repair and regeneration of hepatocytes, and when used in combination with antiviral drugs and other hepatoprotective drugs, it can significantly reduce serum aminotransferase levels and improve hepatic fibrosis, and it has the advantages of high safety and good tolerability. In this paper, the preventive and curative effects of silymarin on different liver diseases, its mechanism of action and its clinical application are summarized, with a view to providing reference for in-depth research, drug development and clinical application of silymarin in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases.