In recent years intranasal administration of drugs has received great attention as a convenient and efficent method of drug delivery because of its potential to improve the systemic effect of substances with a poor oral bioavailability. In addition to offering advantages such as rapid absorption, fast onset of action and avoiding the first -pass effect, it provides for delivery of drugs from very lipophilic drugs such as steroids to polar and hydrophilic drugs such as peptides and proteins. However, little is still known about the nature of various barriers existing in the nasal mucosae as well as mechanism by which these molecules are absorbed. This review article therefore intends to discuss nasal physiology, experimental methods and evaluation of absorption from the nasal cavity, factors influencing nasal absorption, mechanism of nasal absorption, approaches to improve the residence time and to obtain the sustained-release effect of intranasally administered drugs, promoters and mechanism for the enhancement of nasal absorption, Several examples for intranasal delivery of various systemically effective drugs will be reviewed and illustrated. Drug metabolism in the nasal mucosae and problems associated with intranasal administration of drugs will be also discussed.