Abstract: As a traditional Chinese medicine, borneol has anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Furthermore, due to its potent penetrationenhancing properties, borneol can improve blood concentration and bioavailability of drugs and thus is widely used in food industry and pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, neuron-protecting and penetration-enhancing activity of borneol, its application as a chemosensitizer and an enhancer of absorption and delivery of nano-drugs as well as the modification of borneol dosage form were reviewed.