Since the prohibition of antibiotic additives in feed，livestock and poultry farming has entered the antibiotic?free era，in which intestinal diseases pose serious threats to animal health. Meanwhile，various external stressors can induce suboptimal health or disease states in animals，thereby compromising healthy breeding practices and reducing production efficiency. Due to their natural advantages，plant extracts have emerged as a major focus in research and applications aimed at replacing antibiotics in livestock and poultry production. However，systematic and comprehensive knowledge regarding the active components of plant extracts and their mechanisms in supporting intestinal health remains limited，which significantly constrains the effective application of bioactive plant extracts in healthy animal farming. This review summarizes research conducted over the past decade on the role of plant extracts in animal intestinal health，aiming to provide a theoretical reference for the further development and utilization of plant extracts in sustainable livestock and poultry production.