OBJECTIVE To study the effect of different preparation on the chemical component of volatile extract from Rhodiola crenula-ta. METHODS The volatile extract was prepared by steam distillation and solvent extraction, respectively. The extract obtained was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).RESULTS In the sample prepared by steam distillation, 61 peaks were separated and 44 compounds were identified, which represented 94.96% of the total GC peak areas. The main components were 1-octanol (20.31%), geraniol (12.86%), 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (12.07%),etc.In the sample prepared by solvent extraction, 23 peaks were separated and 15 compounds were identified, which represented 98.04% of the total GC peak areas. The main components included 1-octanol (26.50%), linoleic acid (18.70%), geraniol (15.41%), 2,6-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)- phenol (11.49%), etc.CONCLUSION Different extraction exert a great influence on chemical components of essential oil. The appropriate extraction should be used according to clinic requirement.