Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate the antidepressant effects of Jianyatehao(JYTH), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, and its possible mechanisms. METHODS SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: normal group, model group, and four treated groups treatment with high dose JYTH(70 g·kg^-1), moderate dose JYTH(35 g·kg^-1) and low dose JYTH (17.5 g·kg^-1) and imipramine group(10 mg·kg^-1), respectively. The chronically stressed model was established, and the activities in the open-field box and sucrose consumption stress rats were observed respectively. Determine the levels of corticosterone, IL-1β and IL-6 in stressed rats using ELISA and measure the monoamines in various brain regions by Sucrose. Furthermore, the contents of 5-HT, noradrenaline, dopamine and 5-HIAA in various brain areas were measured using HPLC with electrochemical detection with minor modifications. RESULTS Compared with the chronically stressed rats, JYTH(17.5, 35, 70 g·kg^-1) significantly reversed the depressive-like behaviors of chronically stressed rats, which can increase the reactiveness in open-field box and the preference of treatments improved the chronically stressed-induced increase of serum corticosterone, IL-1β and IL-6 levels. JYTH (17.5, 35, 70 g·kg^-1) treatments also increased the monoamines in various brain regions. CONCLUSION JYTH has significant antidepressant effects, which is probably related to the reduce of the levels of serum corticosterone and the protection of the structural integrity of the adrenal and the improvement of the immunity functions and the increase of the monoamines in brain.