Abstract: Coptis chinese is a common clinical medicine of traditional Chinese medicine, with a variety of pharmacological functions, known as ‘Chinese medicine antibiotic’, whose antibacterial effect is more extensive. Due to people’s attention to food safety, the development of natural food preservatives using Chinese medicinal materials is a hot topic at present. This review summarized the antibacterial components, antibacterial action, and the application of Coptis chinese in several common food ingredients, which laid a foundation for further application of Coptis chinese in food preservation.