Four commonly used medicinal plants of genus Ilex, including I. pubescens, I. asprella, I. rotunda, and I. latifolia, have been extensively used in clinic. The Ilex plants contain triterpenes and their glycosides, flavones, phenols and other compositions, and their have the pharmacological activities of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antithrombosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, etc. Among them, I. pubescens has significant pharmacological activities in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but there are few studies on clinical application. There are a few literature reports on the anti-inflammatory, lowering blood lipids, anti-oxidation, anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities of I. asprella, which is clinically used in the treatment of upper respiratory diseases and infectious diseases. I. rotunda has strong activities of antithrombosis and anti-inflammatory, it is clinically used for the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. I. latifolia shows activities of hypolipidemic, antitumor, antibacterial and antioxidant, and its leaves are often used in the treatment of hypertension. This review summarized the research progress on the pharmacological effects and clinical applications of commonly used medicinal plants of this genus in recent years, in order to provide basis for their clinical applications, and provide useful reference for the further development of the research direction and the development of medicines and health products.