To get farther understanding of ferulic acid and its derivatives and make them more widely used, this paper summarized extractions of ferulic acid and kinds of its derivatives, found ferulic acid not only existed in Angelica sinensis, Rhizoma Coptidis and other traditional Chinese medicine, but also was rich in rice bran, wheat bran and other food ingredients. Ferulic acid derivatives are also rich and varied. The paper also reviewed the ferulic acid and its derivatives have significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-radiation, anticancer...