A validated UHPLC-MS/MS method for pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies of twenty constituents in rat after oral administration of Jia-Wei-Qi-Fu-Yin

•A rapid, sensitive and selective UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated.•Twenty components were quantified in rat plasma and brain orally administrated by JWQFY.•These results were further applied to pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies.•Six compounds were considered as the potential effective components of JWQFY.