Binding media used in cultural relics was often mixed with pigments or dyes, and the composition was complex. In the long historical preservation environment, the binding media degraded and aged, and the painting layer was seriously damaged. Because of its high artistic, historical and scientific value, the painting contents were of great significance to the study of ancient culture, customs, science and technology, and religious beliefs. Binding medias were usually based on polysaccharides, fatty acids or proteins, and their precise analysis is essential for the identification and preservation of painted artifacts, and also helps to determine the appropriate conservation method. Therefore, The chemical change of binding medias in the aging process and the understanding of its material composition are the hotspots of the conservation community. Due to the non-renewability of cultural relics, the content of the binding media was low, the sample allows micro-loss or non-destructive analysis, and ordinary analytical methods are difficult to meet the sensitivity requirements. As one of the analytical tools for the material and structure of cultural relics, spectroscopy technologies meet the requirements of non-destructive or micro-damage analysis of binding media, overcome the analytical defects of traditional chemical means, and have been widely used in the field of preservation and conservation of cultural heritage. In this paper, the applications of IR, Raman spectroscopy, UV and fluorescence spectroscopy and NMR technology in the analysis of binding media for painting are reviewed. In the IR spectrum, the reflection mode has strong anti-interference, especially the ATR IR spectrum image has high resolution; the synchronous radiation IR spectrum detection area is very small, and the compound can be accurately positioned and separated; the diffuse reflection and the AFM IR spectrum can be performed, for non-invasive characterization and nano-domain imaging, respectively. Raman spectroscopy is specific, sensitive and selective for molecular changes and is an effective detection technique for binding medias. In addition to strong selectivity, fluorescence spectra have many physical parameters and many molecular information of sample is obtained. Fluorescence lifetime imaging can distinguish binding medias. 2D NMR spectroscopy can analyze complex mixtures, and the swelled-state NMR technique is anti-interference, the time of analysis is short and the sample does not need to be pretreated. Electron paramagnetic resonance and edge structure can study the influence of environment on pigments and binding materials. The FORS can be used for in-situ non-destructive analysis, the mid-infrared FORS is an ideal method for analyzing binding medias, and this method is complementary to Raman spectroscopy and distinguishes complex binding medias. Most of the spectroscopy techniques described in this paper can be combined with chemometrics to better conduct binding medias. However, different spectroscopy techniques are limited by the current method, and the sample information obtained are not the same. When the samples are analyzed, multiple spectroscopy techniques can be combined to take advantage of each other, make up for their own testing challenges, complement each other and improve the accuracy of analysis results. In addition, the instrument combination technology is introduced briefly. Finally, the difficulties in the analysis of binding medias are summarized in this paper, and the development and application prospects of spectral technology are expected.