Objective To investigate whether red ginseng extract can affect the pharmacokinetics of aspirin in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats.Methods Totally, 12 male SD rats were randomly and uniformly divided into the aspirin group (aspirin 10.42 mg·kg -1) and the combined group (red ginseng extraction 0.5 mg·g -1 + aspirin 10.42 mg·kg -1). After intragastric administration of drugs, blood samples (0.5 ml once) were drawn from orbit at 0.083, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours after dosing. Plasma concentration of salicylic acid (metabolite of aspirin) was detected with ultraviolet-visible high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The reliability of the procedure was verified with respect to specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, extraction recovery and matrix effect, and stability. Pharmacokinetics of salicylic acid was evaluated by using non-compartmental model. Results The method was proved to be validated. Compared with the aspirin group, area under the curve (AUC 0-t) and maximum concentration of salicylic acid in rats of the combined group increased obviously (P<0.01), while clearance rate (CLz/F) decreased clearly (P<0.05).Conclusion The in vivo study showed that red ginseng extract can help the internal absorption of aspirin, and delay the in vivo metabolism of aspirin.