The invention discloses a total alkaloid of Stephania delavayi Diels, the content of which is measured by tetrahydropalmatine. Tetrahydropalmatine occupies 55-95 percent of the total alkaloid extract of Stephania delavayi Diels, wherein the weight percentage of tetrahydropalmatine contained is no less than 2 percent, while the weight percentage of palmatine hydrochloride contained is no less than 0.8 percent. The invention also discloses a preparation method of the total alkaloid of Stephania delavayi Diels, which relates to the steps as follows: adding the Stephania delavayi Diels meal into ethanol for diacolation or reflux to acquire alcohol extract, decompressing and recycling the ethanol and concentrating into a condensed ointment for dissolving and filtrating with acid to acquire a filtrate, passing the filtrate through a macroporous resin column or a strong acid cation exchange resin column for adsorption, washing with water to remove the impurities and extracting with a eluent, collecting the eluent and decompressing and recycling the extract and then concentrating and drying, thus acquiring the total alkaloid of Stephania delavayi Diels; the steps can also be decompressing a percolating liquid to recycle the ethanol, concentrating, dissolving with acid and then filtrating, adjusting the pH value of the filtrate with weak base to produce deposition, filtrating the deposition to acquire a filter residue, adding ethanol into the filter residue to resolve and decompress, recycle the ethanol and then drying, thus acquiring the total alkaloid. The results of a pharmacological study on the acquired total alkaloid show that the total alkaloid of Stephania delavayi Diels has good effect on spasmolysis, pain relieving, antiphlogosis and antibiosis, blood activating and so on, and can combine with the acceptable components in pharmacy to prepare various sustained release or controlled release formulation or other formulations.