Abstract： Objective： To explore the mechanism of action of Taohong Decoction in the treatment of atherosclerosis （AS） based on network pharmacology and experimental validation. Methods： The active components and targets of Taohong Decoction were obtained using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）. The potential active components and core targets of Taohong Decoction in treating AS were screened through protein-protein interaction （PPI） analysis. The core targets were subjected to Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The "diseasemedicinals- component-core target" multi-dimensional association visualization network was constructed using Cytoscape software to obtain the key active components and targets of Taohong Decoction in treating AS. Molecular docking of some compounds and targets was performed using AutoDock software. An AS model was established by feeding ApoE-/- male mice with a high-fat diet， and Taohong Decoction intervention was used for experimental validation. Results ： A total of 37 active components and 603 targets of Taohong Decoction were obtained， with 92 targets for Taohong Decoction intervention in AS and 23 core targets， mainly including interleukin-17 （IL-17）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， recombinant human chemokine 8（CXCL8）， matrix metalloproteinase 9 （MMP9）， and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）. The key pathways were the Th17 immune regulation signaling pathway and the IL-17 signaling pathway. Molecular docking results showed that the key compounds gibberellin 7，hederagenin，luteolin，ligustrazine，and emodin，among five active components， had good molecular docking with key targets （CXCL8， MMP9， IL-1β， and IL-6）. Animal experiments found that Taohong Decoction could inhibit the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic lumen of mice，reduce the levels of serum triglyceride （TG），cholesterol （TC），low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， IL-1β， and IL-6， and regulate the expression of core targets CXCL8 and MMP9. Conclusion： The components gibberellin 7，hederagenin，luteolin，ligustrazine，and emodin in Taohong Decoction can act on targets such as IL-1β， IL-6，CXCL8，and MMP9，and their mechanism may be related to the regulation of the IL-17 signaling pathway.