Corynanthe and ipecac alkaloids constitute a large group of natural occurring alkaloids that demonstrate a vast variety of bioactivity and have a long history of usage as herbal drugs. Both the corynanthe and ipecac alkaloids share a common structural unit with a quinolizidine ring fused with a benzo- or indolo-group and three stereocentres wherein one is a ring-junction stereocentre. From synthetic point of view, these natural products represent an intriguing challenge and over the years several strategies toward the asymmetric total synthesis of corynanthe and ipecac alkaloids have been devised and the majority of these are target specific natural-pool based strategies. However, during the last few years, several efficient and diverse strategies based on asymmetric catalysis and one-pot cascade protocols as the key-steps have emerged. In this mini-review the attention is to give an overview of these strategies.