Objective To investigate the regulatory effects of ferulic acid on hepatic steatosis and intestinal flora in hyperlipidemic mice. Methods Twenty-four 6-week-old male ApoE- / - mice were randomly divided into the control, model, ferulic acid [40 mg / ( kg·d)], and simvastatin groups [5 mg / ( kg·d)]; n = 6 per group. Six 6-week-old male C57BL/ 6 mice constituted the blank group. After 12 weeks of feeding a high-fat diet, the drugs were administered for another 12 weeks. The mouse feces were collected to detect the intestinal flora. Blood lipid levels were detected, and liver sections were prepared to observe the pathological changes. Results The body weight, serum total cholesterol ( TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were much higher in the model group than in the control group ( P < 0. 05). Liver cells of the model group were full of lipid droplets, and most presented fatty degeneration. The amounts of Firmicutes and Erysipelotrichaceae in the model group were higher than those in the control group. Bacteroidetes, Ruminococcaceae and Odoribacter were decreased in the model group. Ferulic acid treatment significantly ameliorated the changes in body weight, serum TC, TG, and LDL-C ( P < 0. 05). Ferulic acid upregulated Firmicutes and Erysipelotrichaceae and downregulated Bacteroidetes, Ruminococcaceae and Odoribacter. Ferulic acid also alleviated the liver injury in the high-fat diet-fed ApoE- / - mice. Conclusions Ferulic acid improves dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis, and regulates the intestinal flora imbalance.