Abstract: This paper reviewed research advance of the structure, metabolize, health care function and applications of flax lignan. Flax lignan has the virtue of anti-tumorigenic, estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effect, resisting cancer, anti-atherosclerotic effect, preventing diabetes, anti-aromatase properties, preventing DNA and RNA, anti-virus, anti-fungi and so on，and has a wide application in the production of food products, in clinical and in the cosmetic use. With the improving of standard of living and the change of human’s nutrition, dietary habit diseases such as cancer, diabetes and blood vessel ailment quickly rising. Lignan has important significance to prevent or treating this kind of disease, at the same time, cosmetic has become a big consumption domain, the cosmetic containing at least one lignan in a composition suitable for topical applications to the skin, for preventing or treating the signs of ageing of the skin. What’s more, lignan is very rich in flaxseed, and flaxseed is one of high-yield economic crops. Flax lignan exploitation can bring great economic and society benefit, and has favorable foreground.