Abstract: Since the discovery of penicillin， antimicrobial drugs have been widely used in the treatment of infectious diseases， which contributes substantially to the improvement of human health and the progression of medical science. However， with the wide and long-term use of antibiotics， various multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have been increasingly emerging， which become the serious precludes for conquering infectious diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine generally constitute of multiple components， targets and functions with no obvious drug-resistance during long-term practicing. Hence， exploring new antibiotics from Chinese herbal medicine has become the rational choice for the resolution of bacterial resistance. In this review， the research progress on the traditional Chinese medicine with anti-bacterial property and on the mechanisms involved is summarized.