Objective To find the breakthrough point in formulation research of breviscapine. Methods Research papers and patents on preparation of breviscapine were investigated. Results Formulations for oral administration and intravenous were investigated extensively， but formulations for other administration routes were rather rare. Conclusion Nearly all new formulation technologies were used to improve breviscapine in vivo performance， however， there was lack of industrialization related research. For oral drug delivery， every step of oral absorption should be concerned to improve bioavailability， and for intravenous injection nano-size formulations， drug loading and safety evaluation should be took as first consideration.