OBJECTIVE: To optimize the extraction technology of ethanol extracts from Schisandra chinensis and evaluate the antioxidation of the extracts and purified extracts. METHODS: With the comprehensive score of the contents of total phenolic acids and total flavonoids as well as the clearance rate of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical as the evaluated index, single factor and orthogonal tests were designed to optimize the extraction times, the volume fraction of the solvent ethanol, extraction duration and solvent volume in the extraction technology of S. chinensis, and verification tests were conducted. After purification of the extracts obtained by the optimal extraction technology, the rates of clearance of DPPH free radical by the purified extracts and the reducibility of the purified extracts were determined to evaluate their antioxidation in vitro (vitamin C as positive control). RESULTS: The optimal extraction technology of S. chinensis was as follows as heating reflux extraction with 70% ethanol 8 times as much as the extracts, 3 extraction times and extraction duration of 1.0 h each time; the RSD of all indexes in the verification tests was lower than or equal to 0.53% (n=3). 30% ethanol elution parts of the extracts had the strongest antioxidation, with a clearance rate of DPPH free radical and reducibility comparable to those of vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS: The optimized extraction technology is stable and feasible; the extracts and purified extracts obtained by such technology have rather good antioxidation in vitro.