OBJECTIVE: To detect curative mechanism of bushen huoxue huatan formula on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) model rats. METHODS: 50 rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group, positive control group [rosiglitazone, 3.0 mg/(kg·d)] and Bushen huoxue huatan formula high-dose, low-dose groups [7.5, 5.0 g/(kg·d)], 10 in each group. Except for normal control group, the PCOS model was induced by Poresky method in other groups. After modeling, normal control group and model control group were received normal saline intragastrically, medicine groups were received corresponding liquids intragastrically, once a day, for 22 d. After administration, the serum levels of testosterone (T), anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), insulin-like growth factor Ⅰ(IGF-Ⅰ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the positive expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in ovarian tissue were determined. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, T, AMH, IGF-Ⅰ, TNF-α levels in serum and TGF-β1 positive expression rate in ovarian tissue of rats in model control group were significantly increased (P<0.05); compared with model control group, T, AMH, IGF-Ⅰ, TNF-α levels in serum and TGF-β1 positive expression rate of rats in ovarian tissue in other medicine groups were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the indexes in Bushen huoxue huatan formula different doses groups were superior to positive control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Bushen huoxue huatan formula can obviously reduce the T, AMH, IGF-Ⅰ, TNF-α levels in serum and TGF-β1 positive expression rate in ovarian tissue in model rats with PCOS, which may be one of the mechanisms of its treatment for PCOS.