Objective To observe the effect of Tiaogan Jiedu Recipe（Recipe for regulating the liver and detoxifying） on the emotional behavior of chronic kindling epilepsy rats and its mechanism.Methods Intraperitoneal injection of cocculin was adopted to make chronic epilepsy models.Sixty successfully-made models were randomized into model group

Tiaogan small-dosage group

Tiaogan large-dosage group

and lamotrigine group

with 15 in each.And a normal group with 15 rats in it was set up for the observation in the same period of time for 60 days.During treatment

the normal group and model group were given normal saline 10ml/kg with intragastric feeding

the Tiaogan small and large dosage groups were treated with Tiaogan Jiedu Recipe suspension 0.4 g/kg and 0.8 g/kg respectively by intragastric feeding

and the lamotrigine group was applied lamotrigine suspension 0.002 g/kg through intragastric feeding

once every day.The open field test and elevated plus maze test（EPMT） were used to observe the changes in emotional behavior and the neuropeptide Y（NPY） expression in the hippocampus and other cerebral tissues was detected.Results Compared with the model group

all indices of emotional behavior of lamotrigine group and Tiaogan large-dosage group were statistically different（P<0.05 or P<0.01）

and the capture refusal reactivity score and EPMT open arms escaping time of Tiaogan small-dosage group were also statistically different（P<0.05）.Compared with the model group

the NPY expression in hippocampus and caudate-putamen nucleus of all other groups was significantly increased（P<0.05 or P<0.01）;the NPY positive cells of all hippocampal areas of the lamotrigine group and Tiaogan large-dosage group were increased;and those of the CA3 and DG areas of the Tiaogan small-dosage group were increased as well（P<0.01）.Conclusion Tiaogan Jiedu Recipe is able to improve the emotional behavior abnormality of chronic kindling epilepsy rats and it is possibly related with its regulation of NPY expression of cerebral tissues.