Abstract：Objective：To observe the clinical effect of Sanzi Qingfei Decoction on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung type. Methods： A total of 120 AECOPD patients were selected as the study objects and were divided into the study group and the control group according to the random number table method，with 60 cases in each group. The control group was given conventional modern medical treatment，and the study group was additionally given Sanzi Qingfei Decoction based on the treatment of the control group. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. The clinical effects and the occurrence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups，and the changes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores， inflammatory response [C-reactive protein (CRP)， interleukin-6 (IL-6)， tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α)] were also compared before and after treatment. Results： After treatment， the TCM syndrome scores of cough and asthma， excessive， thick and yellow phlegm， chest pain and oppression， vexing heat and dry mouth， stool dryness and accumulation， and the total scores in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.05)，and the above five scores and the total score in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). The total effective rate was 83.33% in the control group and 95.00% in the study group， the difference being significant (P＜0.05). After treatment， the levels of CRP， IL-6， and TNF-α in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.05)，and the levels of CRP，IL-6，and TNF-α in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). No obvious adverse drug reactions occurred in the two groups during the treatment. Conclusion： Sanzi Qingfei Decoction has a good curative effect on AECOPD of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung type，which can improve pulmonary ventilation and inhibit inflammatory reaction.