Objective To detect the content of phytosterols in 68 kinds of Chinese traditional herbal medicine and analyze the distribution of phytosterols in Chinese traditional herbal medicines. Method The content of β-sitosterol， campesterol，stigmasterol and β-sitostanol in 68 kinds of Chinese traditional herbal medicine commonly used in functional foods was analyzed by GC and the percentage of each ingredient was calculated. Results The contents of phytosterol in 68 kinds of Chinese traditional herbal medicine were from 5. 2 mg /100g to 321. 4 mg /100g. Total phytosterol was higher in seed，flower and bark. β-Sitosterol is the major part of total phytosterol in most samples. The Chinese traditional herbal medicines with higher phytosterols were used in health foods for anti-inflammation and lowering blood lipids. Conclusion There were certain amount of phytosterols in 68 kinds of Chinese traditional herbal medicines，which maybe the explanation for the function of Chinese traditional herbal medicines.