Abstract： Objective： To observe the curative effect of medicinal cupping therapy on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung type. Methods：A total of 80 patients with AECOPD of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung type were selected and divided into the control group and the observation group according to the random number table method， with 40 cases in each group. The control group was given basic western medicine for treatment，and the observation group was treated with basic western medicine combined with medicinal cupping therapy. The two groups were treated for 14 days. The clinical effects，incidence of adverse reactions，and the changes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores， levels of serum inflammatory indicators [white blood cell (WBC)， serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT)] and levels of T-lymphocyte subsets CD3+ and CD4+ were compared before and after treatment between the two groups. Results：The total clinical effective rate was 97.50% in the observation group， and 80.00% in the control group， the difference being significant (P＜0.05). After treatment，the TCM syndrome scores of shortness of breath， cough，expectoration，fever and phlegm character in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.05)， and the above five scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). After treatment，the levels of WBC，CRP and PCT in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.05)，and the above three levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). After treatment，the levels of Tlymphocyte subsets CD3+ and CD4+ in the two groups were increased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.05)， and the above two levels in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P＜0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was 12.5% in the control group， and 2.5% in the observation group，the difference being significant (P＜0.05). Conclusion：Based on the basic western medicine， the medicinal cupping therapy has a better curative effect on AECOPD of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung type，which can effectively mitigate the clinical symptoms，reduce the inflammatory responses and enhance the immunity with great safety.