Objective To observe clinical efficacy of Chenshi Paozhen Erhao Formula（CPEF

陈氏疱疹二号方） in treatment of patients with male recurrent genital herpes（RGH） in remission stage of yin deficiency and lingering pathogen syndrome and its possible mechanism. Methods A total of 160 patients with RGH in remission stage of yin deficiency and lingering pathogen syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group（106 patients） and control group（54 patients）. The treatment group was treated with CPEF with 1 dose per day

and the control group was treated with Aciclovir Tablets

with 0.4 g each time

twice a day. Both groups were treated for 3 months and followed up for 1 year. Skin lesion scores in the 2 groups were observed before and after the treatment. Average skin lesion scores

frequency of RGH recurrence and mean recurrence intervals were observed during the treatment period

follow-up period of 6 months and of 1 year. Levels of peripheral blood interleukin-2（IL-2）

interleukin-4（IL-4）

interleukin-10（IL-10）

interferon-γ（IFN-γ）

CD4

+

CD8

+

and CD4

+

/CD8

+

were measured before and after the treatment. The anti-recurrence efficacy and safety were evaluated. Results There were no recurrences in both groups during the treatment period. The skin lesion score in the treatment group was significantly decreased after treatment（P

<

0.001）

and it was lower than that in the control group（P

<

0.05）. At 6-month follow-up and 1-year follow-up

the mean recurrent skin lesion score and the frequency of recurrence in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group during the same time

and the mean recurrence interval was longer than that in the control group（P

<

0.05）. The anti-recurrence total effective rate in the treatment group was 21.00%

higher than that in the control group（8.00%

P

<

0.05）. Levels of peripheral blood IL-2

IFN-γ

CD4

+

and CD4

+

/CD8

+

in the treatment group were significantly increased

and levels of IL-4

IL-10 and CD8

+

were significantly decreased after treatment（P

<

0.01）. After treatment

levels of peripheral blood IL-2

IFN-γ

CD4

+

and CD4

+

/CD8

+

in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group

and the levels of IL-4

IL-10 and CD8

+

were lower than those in the control group（P

<

0.01）. There were no significant adverse reactions during the treatment period in both groups. Conclusion CPEF is effective in the treatment of male patients with RGH in the remission stage of yin deficiency and lingering pathogen syndrome. It can significantly decrease the frequency of recurrence and prolong the recurrence interval. It may play a role by regulating immune balance of the patients and improving their immune function.