Allergic contact dermatitis （ACD）is a common type Ⅳ allergic disease ，which has a wide range of patients ，and seriously affects the quality of patients ’lives. To understand the pharmacological mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）in the treatment of ACD ，and to provide reference for clinical application and new drug research and development ，the relevant research literatures were reviewed from aspects of pathogenesis of ACD ，traditional Chinese medicine that can be used to treat ACD and its mechanism of action. TCM for the treatment of ACD mainly include heat-clearing medicines （Sophora flavescens，Dictamnus dasycarpus ），exterior-releasing medicines （Cinnamomum cassia ，Xanthium sibiricum ，Saposhnikovia divaricata），antirheumatic medicines （Tripterygium wilfordii ，Cynanchum paniculatum ），and damp-draining medicines （Plantago asiatica，Kochia scoparia ），etc. The main mechanisms include inhibition of IgE secretion ，regulation of Th 1/Th2 cell and Th 17/ Treg balance ，reduction of mast cells degranulation ratio ，inhibition of pERK 1/2/TLR4/NF-κ B pathway，AIM2/caspase-1 inflammasome signaling pathway ，Wnt/β-catenin pathway ，STAT3 pathway and MAPK pathway.