Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a typical clinically pathophysiological process. Although no breakthrough has been made in preventing myocardial IRI, many drugs have shown promising clinical effects. Morphine, as a traditional opioid analgesic, can alleviate the IRI of the normal myocardium and reduce the post‑ischemic injury of the myocardium under certain pathological conditions. This paper aims to review the application of morphine in myocardial protection and its mechanism to provide scientific reference for the clinical application and further research of morphine in alleviating myocardial ischemia.