The invention discloses a method for extracting and separating curcumin as an effective constituent of turmeric, which belongs to the extraction and separation of traditional Chinese medicine effective constituents and technical application. The structural formula of the compound is as shown in a figure. The method for extracting and separating curcumin comprises the steps of grinding turmeric, adding alkali liquid for cold extraction, filtering, performing column chromatography through macroporous resin, performing gradient elution by use of ethanol and water, collecting eluent, reducing pressure, evaporating, concentrating and vacuum-drying the eluent, and obtaining the effective constituent, namely curcumin. The method has the advantages that the macroporous resin used in the method can be repeatedly utilized, and the method is economical and simple by taking water and ethanol as solvents, can conveniently obtain the extract with the effective constituent content not lower than 90 percent, and is easy to industrialize.