Objective To observe the therapeutic effect and safety of acupuncture at Back-shu point and cotton-posting moxibustion on psoriasis vulgaris in active stage.Methods Eighty patients were randomized into two groups: 40 cases in the treatment group were treated by acupuncture at Back-shu points combined with cotton-posting moxibustion at the affected areas

and 40 cases in the control group were administered Chinese medicine Compound Qingdai Capsule [compound capsule containing Qingdai（Indigo Naturalis）] for oral taking and Baibi Ointment（ointment for psoriasis） for application

two weeks as one course of treatment and 8 weeks in total.Psoriasis area and severity index（PASI） and dermopathy life quality index（DLQI） were recorded to evaluate the therapeutic effect

and a follow-up survey was carried out for 3 months.Results One case was lost in the treatment group

and of the 39 left

the effective rate was 82.05%.In the control group

the effective rate was 77.50%.The local symptoms of erythema

scale

infiltration

and pruritus were improved in both groups

and PASI and DLQI were reduced（P<0.05 or P<0.01）

but there was no significant difference between the two groups（P>0.05）.Isomorphic response didn’t appear in any one of the patients in the treatment group.After 3 months

the follow-up survey showed that the therapeutic effect index and DLQI improvement rate in the treatment group were both higher than those in the control group（P<0.05）.Conclusion The treatment of acupuncture at Back-shu points combined with cotton-posting moxibustion for psoriasis vulgaris in active stage is effective and safe.The long-term effect of this treatment is better than oral taking of Qingdai Capsule and application of Baibi Ointment.