Aim To determine whether the extract of Buyang huanwu decoction(BHD)inhibit the pathogenetic progress of atherosclerosis induced by cholesrol rich diet and to elucidate its mechanism in rabbits. Methods Three groups of rabbits received the following different diets for 9 weeks: ordinary diet(OD) group, model of atherosclerosis (MA) group(ordinary diet plus 1% cholesterol and 3.3% fat), and MA plus BHD [5 g/(kg·d)] group. Plasma lipids, endothelin 1(ET 1), nitric oxide(NO) and factor Ⅶ procoagulant activity(FⅦ:C) were detected and the histological atherosclerotic changes in aortic, abdominal aortic and coronary artery were evaluated. Results Compared with the MA group, serum total cholesterol(12.70±6.17 vs 26.6±10.41 mmol/L, p<0.01), triglycerides (1.05±0.25 vs 2.72±1.55 mmol/L, p<0.01), FⅦ:C(135.36±34.54 vs 287.84±66.87, p<0.01), and NO (30.23±12.91 vs 112.30±23.00, p<0.01) were significantly lower in the MA plus BHD group, and this decoction inhibited theprogression of aortic, abdominal aortic and coronary intimal plaques and reducedaortic intimal thickening. Conclusions These datas suggested that BHD have antiatherogenic effects and its mechanism might associate with the decrease of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, nitric oxide and factor Ⅶ procoagulant activity. (① A kind of traditional Chinese decoction consisted of seven kinds of Chinese medicine: astragalus; angelica; ligusticum; paeonia; earthworm; swietenia and carthamus.)