Abstract： Atherosclerosis is the main cause of many cardiovascular diseases. In recent years， the incidence of atherosclerosis is gradually increased with the changes of diet structure and life rhythms. As the main pathological product of atherosclerosis，restoring the normal structure and function of blood vessels by plaques regression has been a major problem. The theory of "veins generating phlegm node" for the plaques has been put forward in Chinese medicine， and the plaques are classified into the category of "phlegm node" at macroscopic level，but the immune mechanism of monocytes in the process of plaques formation is not discussed in depth. Through the analogy of Chinese medicine thinking， the formation of "phlegm node" is further related to the differentiation， phagocytosis and accumulation of monocytes，and the mechanism of Chinese medicine in regressing plaques is explored so as to explore a new meeting point for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis with Chinese medicine.