Abstract: OBJECTIVE To optimize the cladding process of volatile oil saturated and aqueous solution method of classic prescription Sanhua decoction. METHODS β-Cyclodextrin was used as the wrapping material, through Plackett-Burman combined with Box-Behnken design tests, the optimal packaging process of Sanhua decoction’s total volatile oil was screened. The clathrate was verified by microscopy, thin layer chromatography, and ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and the change of volatile composition before and after the envelope was determined by headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS The best coating process of the total volatile oil of the classic prescription Sanhua decoction was as follows: speed 2 000 r·min^-1, wrapping 1 h, feed-liquid ratio 1∶10, baling temperature 30 ℃, material ratio 1∶9. The comprehensive scores of the three validation experiments were 0.981 0, 0.999 9 and 0.963 4, and the average value was 0.981 4, which was 2.87% different from the predicted value of the model. CONCLUSION The saturated aqueous solution method is simple and stable, and the volatile components are basically unchanged before and after the encapsulation, which provides a reference for the development of Sanhua decoction and the research on the volatile oil in the classic recipe.