Classical formula， well-known for prominent clinical efficacy has complicated mechanism of action and unknown active substances due to varieties of compositions， which has constrained its in modern clinical medicine at a global platform. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) techniques， widely used in pharmaceutical analysis and quality control， has a multiple usage in active substance identification and content assessment of classical formula， ranging from sample pre-assessment handling， quantitative and qualitative analysis， pharmacokinetic research. Co-immunoprecipitation can be used to detect the effects of classical formula on the interactions between proteins， and confocal laser techniques can be used to observe the effects of classical formula on the distribution and transfer of proteins and ion. Therefore， the paper also briefed the use of those two techniques in the research of classical formula.