Puerarin is a potential therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases. But its poor oral bioavailability restricts its clinical application. In present study, as an evaluation of a formulation to improve the bioavailability of the drug, puerarin and its phospholipid complex were given to rats by intragastrically (i.g.) administration to compare pharmacokinetic, tissue distribution, and excretion. Serum samples were obtained at designated times after a single oral dose of 400 mg/kg puerarin or its complex. Tissue samples (heart, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and brain), urine, and feces were collected and analyzed by a sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method after i.g. administration of puerarin or its phospholipid complex. Compartmental and non-compartmental analyses were applied to the serum concentration versus time data. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the 3P97 pharmacokinetic software package. An open two-compartment, first-order model was selected for pharmacokinetic modeling. The results showed that after i.g. administration of 400 mg/kg puerarin and its phospholipid complex (equivalent to 400 mg/kg of puerarin), the pharmacokinetic parameters of the two formulations were different. The serum concentrations reached peaks at 0.894+/-0.521 h and 0.435+/-0.261 h, respectively, indicating the complex was more readily absorbed in serum than puerarin. The maximum concentrations for puerarin and its complex were 1.367+/-0.586 mg.L(-1) and 2.202+/-1.28 mg.L(-1) and AUC were 5.779+/-1.662 mg.h. L(-1) and 8.456+/-0.44 mg.h L(-1), respectively, indicating a higher bioavailability for the complex. The widely distribution characteristics of puerarin and its complex in tissues post-i.g. administration was identical and in a descending order as follows: lung, kidney, liver, heart, spleen, and brain. However, the amount was different. Puerarin distribution was higher in heart, lung, and brain after administering the complex. The cumulative 72 h urinary excretion of puerarin after i.g. administration of puerarin and its complex accounted for 1.05%, 1.11% of the administered dose, respectively. The cumulative feces excretion of puerarin was 32.3% and 25.5%. To sum up, oral administration of puerarin phospholipid complex modified the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of puerarin and it could be an effective oral formulation for puerarin.