Abstract：Objective：To observe the effect of Shugan Lidan Prescription combined with external application with Liqi Tongfu Powder on inflammatory responses and gastrointestinal function in acute cholecystitis. Methods：A total of 104 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to Wenling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January to December 202 were divided into the study group and the control group by random number table method ， with 52 patients in each group. Both groups underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy； the control group received routine modern medical treatment after surgery， and the study group received Shugan Lidan Prescription combined with external application with Liqi Tongfu Powder on the basis of routine modern medical treatment. Compared the clinical efficacy in the two groups after seven days of treatment， and compared the changes in traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores， gastrointestinal function recovery， and levels of inflammatory factors [C-reactive protein （CRP）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）] before and after treatment. Results： The total effective rate of clinical efficacy was 96.15% （50/52） in the study group， and 82.69% （4/52） in the control group， the difference being significant（ P＜0.05）. After treatment，the main symptoms，secondary symptoms，and total scores of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in both groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment （P＜0.05） . The main symptoms， secondary symptoms， and total scores of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in the study group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.05） . The recovery time of bowel sounds，disappearance time of abdominal pain，the first exhaust time，and defecation time in the study group were all shorter than those in the control group，differences being significant（ P＜0.05）. After treatment，the levels of CRP，IL-6，and IL-1β in both groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment （P＜0.05），and the above three levels in the study group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.05） . Conclusion：Shugan Lidan Prescription combined with external application with Liqi Tongfu Powder has a good therapeutic effect on acute cholecystitis， which can accelerate postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery and reduce inflammatory responses.