“Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) can achieve spatial visualization of multiple components through label free in situ analysis, providing important technical support for the research of traditional Chinese medicine substance basis. This article introduces its research progress in the field of spatial distribution analysis of traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers have systematically revealed the microscopic spatial patterns of traditional Chinese medicine components in drug processing, compound preparations, and in vivo distribution, laying the foundation for constructing the "substance space efficacy" correlation.”