Aim To observe the effects of Tongmai granules on blood lipids,aorta and coronary artery pathological morphology in atherosclerosis rabbit model. Methods Forty Japanese big ear rabbits were randomly divided into negative control group,model control group,low dosage TongMai granules group and high dosage TongMai granules group,each group consisting of ten rabbits.The negative control group was fed on common diet,the other groups were high-lipid fed(5% pork fat,0.5% cholesterol) to establish atherosclerosis model.The latter two groups were given low dosage and high dosage Tongmai granules respectively.Blood lipid,aorta and coronary artery pathological morphology(including the thickness and the area of the aorta atherosclerosis plaque and the percentage of stenosis of the coronary artery supplying left ventricle) were observed in all the rabbits before and/or after the treatment. Results Blood TG,TC,LDLC were elevated significantly in the rabbits of the model group,but the elevation in the Tongmai group was lower than those of the model group,especially in the high dosage group.There are significant differences as compared with those of other groups(p<0.05).Normal aorta and coronary arteries are seen in the negative control group while in the other groups atherosclerosis of various degrees and coronary arteries stenosis came into being.Aorta plaque thickness,plague area/ aorta area and the percentage of stenosis of coronary arteries is lower in the Tongmai group than those in the model group, with those of the high dosage group being the lowest(p<0.05). Conclusions Tongmai granules can significantly reduce blood lipids,prevent and treat atherosclerosis.The mechanisms by which Tongmai granules alleviates angina pectoris may be attributed to its properties of reducing blood lipids,preventing and treating atherosclerosis