To investigate the efficacy of Shugan granule in the treatment of ethanol-induced liver fibrosis in the rats and its mechanisms by observing the changes of biochemistry and pathology. Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal group,ethanol-fed group,interventional group.The rats of the interventional group were administered with Shugan granule 0.5 g/kg twice daily.Forty per cent(vol / vol) ethanol 8 g/kg·d was given to the rats of the ethanol-fed groups and the interventional groups by intragastric infusion once in the morning.The animals were decollated at the 24th weekend.Blood samples were used for testing: IL-6 and TNF-α.Rat livers were harvested to examine the pathological changes by Masson's trichrome(MT) staining.Hepatic stellate cells(HSC) were determined by immunohistochemical SABC stain.The concentrations of SOD and malonaldehyde(MDA) of the livers were measured by biochemical analysis. With MT staining,fibrosis was developed in the ethanol-fed group at the 24(th) weekend.But in the interventional group,there was no obvious fibrosis at the same time.Hepatic MDA contents were increased in the ethanol-fed groups at the 24(th) weekend,and there was significant difference between the ethanol-fed and interventional groups(P<0.05).The contents of SOD were increased by ethanol.Desmin~+ cells were found around portal vein and perisinus in the alcohol group in 24(th) week.Whereas,this kind of cell was found only near portal vein in the interventional group and the normal group,and much less than that of the ethanol-fed group.Shugan granule has beneficial effects in prophylaxis and the treatment of alcoholic liver diseases in rats.The mechanisms may be contributed to reducing lipid peroxidation and inhibiting HSC initiation.