An RP-HPLC was established to determine scutellarin in rabbit plasma and to study pharmacokinetics of breviscapine in rabbits. The analytical column was DiamonsilTM C18(4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microns), the mobile phase consisted of methanol, 0.02 mol/L phosphate buffer(adjusted by phosphoric acid to pH 3.0) and acetonitrile (65:35:10), the flow rate was 1.0 ml.min-1, the column temperature was 25 degrees C and the detection wavelength was 334 nm. The results of the pharmacokinetics study showed that the concentration-time curve of scutellarin was conformed to two-compartment model, the chief pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: t1/2 alpha 1.29 +/- 0.53 min, t1/2 beta 10.40 +/- 1.97 min, Vc148.1 +/- 118.6 ml, and CL 57.5 +/- 31.7 ml.min-1.