The article reviewed the research progress on chemical composition，pharmacological action and identification of the Ephedrae Herba.By summing up all the chemical composition and introducing the function that protects the secondary spinal cord injury，and stimulates the peripheral blood lymphocytes，falling hematic fat etc，references for the further study of Ephedrae Herba were provided.Methods for the identification of Ephedrae Herba were summarized，especially ITS2 barcode which was fast and accurate，providing basis for safe and effective use.In addition，it shows that the DNA barcode technology has a broad development prospect.