To investigate the chemical constituents in water-soluble fraction of Carthamus tinctorius.Compounds were isolated and purified by macroporus resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and preparative HPLC. The structures were identified by spectral analysis.Twelve compounds were isolated and identified as 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde (1); E-1-(4'-hydroxypheny) -but-1-en-3-one (2); 3-Formylindole (3); 2-Acetyl-5-hydroxymethylfuran (4); p-Hydroxycinnamic acid (5); (6R, 7E, 9R) -9-hydroxy-4,7-megastigmandien-3-one (6); 4-hydroxyacetophenone (7); 5-(hydroxymethyl) -2-furaldehyde (8); 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (9); Stigmasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10); Daucosterol (11); beta-sitosterol (12).Compounds 1 - 4, 6, 7, 10 are isolated from this plant for the first time.