Achievements of pharmacological studies on IEC-6 small intestinal crypt-like cells (IEC-6 cells) were reviewed. Based on the physiological research of IEC-6 cells, the pharmacological experiment model of IEC-6 cells was established and the pharmacological actions of spleen-strengthening and Qi-invigorating herbal medicine (SQHM) on intestinal epithelial stem cells were observed. Thiazolyl blue colorimetry (MTF), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high performance liquid chromatography (HPEC) and immune fluorescence labeling technology were applied in the experiments to observe the effect of SQHM on the proliferation, migration and differentiation of IEC-6. Its influences on the expression of villus protein, divalent mental transferrin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and on ODC activity and putrescine content were also observed. The results showed that the extracted chemical components of Radix Codonopsis, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Radix Astragali seu Hedysari and Radix Glycyrrhizae promoted or inhibited the proliferation, migration, differentiation and absorption function of IEC-6 cells by regulating ODC activity and putrescine production. It is indicated that IEC-6 cells are the pharmacological target of spleen-strengthening and Qi-invigorating herbal medicine.