OBJECTIVE：To study the chemical components of Swertia nervosa. METHODS： Silica gel column chromatography was used for purification and analysis of compounds’ structure based on physicochemical properties and spectral data. RESULTS：  Five compounds were isolated and identified in petroleum ether portion of S. nervosa， involving 1-hydroxy-3，7，8-trimethoxyxanthone （1），1，8-dihydroxy-3， 7-dimethoxyxanthone （2），1，8-dihydroxy-3，5-dimethoxyxanthone（3），1-hydroxy-3， 5-dimethoxyxanthone（4） and β-sitosterol（5）. CONCLUSIONS： Compound 1，3 and 4 are isolated from S. nervosa for the first time， and the study has laid a foundation for the quality evaluation of S. nervosa.