Abstract:The spectrum-effect relationship is a new and effective method that has been applied in recent years for the screening of active components and quality control of natural products. Data analysis methods， serving as the key focus in spectrum-effect relationship studies， act as a bridge connecting the spectrum and effect.The recent advances in the application of data analysis methods in spectrum-effect relationship studies were reviewed， including partial least squares regression， grey relational analysis， artificial neural networks， principal component analysis， and the combination of multiple techniques. Finally， the current research status，challenges， and future research directions of the spectrum-effect relationship were discussed， with a view to providing references for its application in the field of food-medicine homology.