Objective To investigate the characteristics of Chinese medicine syndromes and the possible metabolic substance basis of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Methods 10-week-old SPF SHR and WKY of the same strain were divided into SHR group and WKY group with 8 rats in each group. The general state, temperament, peripheral vascular filling, tongue characteristics, diet, water intake, urine and feces volume and characteristics, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, pain threshold, and open field behavior of SHR rats were observed and tested comprehensively to identify the possible syndrome types of Chinese medicine. At the same time, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze non-targeted serum metabolites to preliminarily reveal the material basis of blood pressure elevation and Chinese medicine syndrome manifestations. Results Compared with WKY group, the scores of dark yellow hair color, irritable degree and peripheral capillary filling were higher in SHR group (P<0.0001). Red tongue color, dry tongue, little body fluid; 24h diet and water intake, urine volume and fecal volume were less (P<0.05), fecal water content was lower (P<0.001); systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were significantly higher (P<0.05); Lower pain threshold (P<0.0001); The open field experiment shows that the moving distance and residence time of the edge are longer (P<0.001). Serum non-targeted metabolomics result showed that, compared with WKY group, the SHR group had 114 metabolites with significant differences (P<0.05). These differential metabolites were mainly lipids and lipid-like molecules (40.35%), organic acids and derivatives (22.8%), and organoheterocyclic compounds (15.79%). A total of 25 metabolic pathways were identified by KEGG enrichment analysis. Further differential abundance analysis showed that 16 pathways were activated, only 4 pathways were inhibited, and 5 pathways were not significantly changed. The glutamatergic synapse and GABAergic synapse were activated, while the serotonergic synapse was inhibited. Conclusions The symptoms of SHR include impatience and irritability, peripheral vascular dilation and collateral circulation formation, bulbar conjunctival congestive swelling, red tongue coloration, a dry tongue, constipation, redyellow urine of low volume, and a rapid heart rate and high respiratory rate. All these suggest that SHR is a syndrome of hypertension with hyperactivity of liver-yang. The material basis of SHR is not only related to lipid, amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism disorders, but also may be related to metabolic disorders of glutaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic neural pathways.