Abstract: Objective To study the long-term toxicity of oral administration of different extracts of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim in mice and provide a safety reference for its clinical application. Methods 144 ICR mice were randomly divided into blank control group, high, medium and low dose groups of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim water extract and Epimedium brevicornu Maxim alcohol extract (80, 40, 20 g?kg-1). Continuous gavaging for 8 weeks, the general condition of the mice was observed during the administration, and the body weight was weighed weekly. After the last administration, relevant blood biochemical indexes, system autopsy and histopathological examination were performed. Results Four weeks after continuous administration of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim water extract and ethanol extract, the body weight of female and male mice were significantly lower than the control group(P <0.001). In addition, compared with the control group, the organ coefficient, blood indicators, serum biochemical indicators of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim water extract and ethanol extract groups had a certain degree of change(P <0.05). Conclusion Epimedium brevicornu Maxim extracts at high dose have certain toxic effects on mice for 8 weeks.

Key words: Epimedium brevicornu Maxim water extract, Epimedium brevicornu Maxim alcohol extract, long-term toxicity, toxicity studies