[Objective] To observe the effect of therapy of strengthening spleen to eliminate blood-stasis and fluid dampness for ascites due to liver cirrhosis. [Methods] Sixty - five cases were randomly allocated to Group A and Group B by interval randomization. Group A was treated with Jianpi Xiaogu Decoction (mainly composed of Radix Codonopsis, Polyporus, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Pericarpium Arecae), one dose per day, which is combined with routine western medicine when necessary and Group B was treated with routine western medicine alone. The treatment course lasted one month and then a half-a-year follow- up was carried out. [Results] After treatment, 3 was cured, 12 markedly effective, 18 effective and 2 ineffective in Group A and 1,5, 14 and 10 respectively in Group B. The differences of each ranked effect in the two group were significant (U=2.80, P=0.005) . So did the total therapeutic effect (x2 = 8.19, P