Mesembrine，an Aizoaceae alkaloid，was isolated from the Mesembryanthemum tortuosum and characterized by Bodendorf’s group in 1957。In addition to its structural feature and interesting bioactivities has attracted much attention，mesembrine has been one of the most interesting targets in synthetic organic chemistry for the past 40 years。To date，over 40 total and formal syntheses have appeared。In this paper，31 total and formal syntheses of mesembrine are reviewed.

Key words: mesembrine, synthesis, aizoaceae alkaloid