The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) are on the rise. Although the existing therapeutic means can curb the progression of the disease to a certain extent, there are problems such as large adverse reactions, immunosuppression, reduced quality of life and drug resistance, which can not fully meet the clinical needs. As an outstanding representative of Chinese civilization, traditional Chinese medicine has integrated with modern medicine and gradually shown new vitality. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in anti-CRC because of its multi-level, multi-target and multi-pathway advantages, and the active components of TCM saponins have become the focus of anti-tumor research in recent years. A large number of studies have shown that Chinese herbal saponins, such as ginsenosides, polyphyllin and anemoside, can inhibit CRC by regulating signaling pathways including Notch-Hes1, Hippo and STAT6, inhibiting CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transformation, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, regulating energy metabolism, improving macrophage polarization and regulating intestinal guts. Based on this, this paper mainly summarized the mechanism of action and pharmacological activity of Chinese pharmaceutical saponins in the intervention of CRC in recent years, in order to provide a new idea for the drug therapy research and clinical new drug development of CRC, and also provide reference for further mechanism research.