The invention relates to a novel pharmacological action of a traditional Chinese medicine monomer puerarin. The novel pharmacological action comprises prevention, relief and / or treatment of myopathy,muscular atrophy and musculoskeletal complications caused by metabolic diseases including diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and thyroid diseases. The puerarin has the following advantages: the puerarin has the effects of delaying and treating muscular atrophy caused by related metabolic diseases like diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and thyroid diseases; the puerarin has the pharmacological effects of increasing skeletal muscle strength, improving skeletal muscle tissue microcirculation, increasing skeletal muscle weight and improving skeletal muscle peripheral neuropathy; the puerarin is amonomeric compound extracted from kudzuvine root, is low in toxicity and wide in raw material resource, and has good application and development prospects; and the puerarin can be used for preventing, relieving and treating muscular atrophy, myopathy and musculoskeletal complications caused by related metabolic diseases like diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and thyroid diseases.