It is found that some traditional materials used on ancient architectures not only have good consolidation abilities, but also have other advantages such as durability, strength, compatibility with the architecture and environment - friendliness. Unfortunately, the consolidation mechanism 'of these materials was unknown because of the complexity of their components and lack of scientific research in past time. In order to use and develop such traditional materials more effectively for consolidation of historical architectures and relics, some Chinese classical mortar formulas were tested. Mortar specimen mimics were prepared following classical mortar and San He Tu formulas, which consist mainly of inorganic lime and organic sticky rice slurry. A variety of consolidation properties were tested. The morphography and crystallography of typical samples were observed by SEM and XRD, respectively. The results indicated that Chinese classical mortar formulas had properties similar to modern composite materials, but achieved better consolidation properties through a combination between inorganic components and organic components than if just one of them was used. An important discovery was that the biological molecules in sticky rice slurry controlled the crystallization of calcium carbonate, giving crystals of similar size and shape. This is an example of biomineralization where calcium carbonate functions as the mineral and sticky rice slurry functions as a template. These research results provide new information regarding the application of traditional materials to the conservation and consolidation of historical structures and relics.