To study ethanol extraction of components of Huoxue tongjing xiaoyu cataplasma.Methods:By orthogonal design, the ethanol extraction process was optimized with the yield of the contents of alcohol extracts and emodin as indexes.Results:The optimum alcohol extraction process was obtained with 60% alcohol, extracting twice for 40 minutes, and the amount of ethanol was six times over the weight of the herbal.Conclusion:The optimum extraction process of Huoxue tongjing xiaoyu cataplasma by orthogonal design is stable and feasible.