Abstract: Gynostemma pentaphyllum（GP）is a significant edible plant resource in China. It is a grassy climbing plant belonging to Gynostemma genus of Cucurbitaceae family and is extensively distributed in the south of Shannxi Province and the south of Yangtze River. This paper conducted a visual analysis of the overseas and domestic research literatures on GP in the past 20 years. Among them， GP and its saponins have been a prominent area of research. However， the focus of the research has mainly been on the chemical compositions， functional activities， and pharmacological actions of GP. A current systematic review of its chemical compositions and biological activities is lacking. Therefore， this paper summarized the latest research on the chemical compositions of saponins， polysaccharides， flavonoids， amino acids， and trace elements in GP， as well as its biological activities such as antioxidant， anti-aging， reducing blood lipids and blood sugar， liver protection， anti-tumorand nerve protection. The results indicated a shortage of studies comparing the quality of GP from different regions， as well as limited knowledge on the absorption， metabolism， and action mechanisms of its main pharmacodynamic components. Therefore， it is suggested to focus on the future study of flavonoid compounds in GP as a research target to further elucidate their chemical structure and pharmacological mechanisms. Considering the diverse composition and pharmacological activities of GP， molecular biology， metabolomics， and other technical approaches should be employed to investigate the pharmacological substance basis， mechanisms， and the metabolites and metabolic pathways of its active components. Moreover， it is crucial to standardize the standards of origin integrity and product quality of GP， which can provide references for further research and development of GP.