Objective: To compare the effect of Keyin Decoction with retinoic acid in treating psoriasis.Methods: One hundred and six patients were randomly divided by paired grouping into the KYD group and the all-trans retinoic acid (RA) group

53 in each group with 19 cases belonging to Wind-Heat Syndrome type and 34 to Wind-Dryness type. The Wind-Heat Syndrome type in the KYD group was treated with KYD I (with the action of clearing Heat

removing Dampness

cooling blood and dispelling Wind)

and the Wind-Dryness type with KYDII (with the action of nourishing blood

moistening skin and dredging Qi-blood circulation). The RA group was treated with RA. Sequential analysis was adopted to observe the effect. At the same time

the adverse reaction was observed.Results: When the test got to the 44th pair of patients

the scription of result reached the UA line of sequential chart

suggesting that the efficacy of KYD was superior to that of RA. Skin lesion subsidence rate in the KYD group and the RA group was 39.6% and 20.8% respectively with significant difference (P<0.05). And for the patients of progressive phase in the two groups

skin lesion subsidence rate was 57.8% and 21.1% respectively (P< 0.05). No obvious adverse reaction was found in the KYD group.Conclusion: Keyin Decoction had good effect in treating psoriasis.