[Objectives] The aim of this work was to compare the inhibitory effects of different water-soluble extracts of ginseng on hydroxyl radical. [Methods]The water-soluble effective parts of ginseng were extracted by orthogonal test,the hydroxyl radical scavenging rate of each extract was determined by salicylic acid method,and the extraction process of the optimum hydroxyl radical inhibitor was optimized using variance analysis and cluster analysis. [Results] A total of 16 samples were prepared. Among them,the sample No. 12 had the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging rate,and the inhibition rate reached 105. 08% at the concentration of 1 g/L. [Conclusions] Ginseng water extract contained hydroxyl radical scavenger,of which the optimum extraction process was as follows: p H of 8,solid to liquid ratio of 1∶ 10,extraction temperature of 4℃,extraction time of 12 h and extraction times of 3.