Objective To explore the preventive effect of Chuanxiong-Tianma on headache and the degranulation of dural mast cells(MC)in migraine rats induced by nitroglycerin.Methods 28 healthy male SD rats stochastically put into the control group,the model group,the Chuanxiong Tianma group and the topiramate group,with 7 rats in each group.The rats in the control group and model group were given ultra-pure water for one week.The rats in the Chuanxiong Tianma group were treated with Chuanxiong-Tianma(4∶1)granules for 1 week,and the topiramate group were treated with topiramate solution for 1 week.One week after intragastric administration,apart from the control group,the other three groups were intraperitoneal injection with nitroglycerin to build the migraine model.The number of head scratches and the presence of ear red symptoms were calculated between 60 and 90 minutes in each group.The dural mast cells were treated with toluidine blue staining,and the positive rate of dural mast cells degranulation was compared between each group.Results Chuanxiong Tianma granules could improve the symptoms of head scratching in rats with migraine induced by nitroglycerin(P<0.05),and inhibit mast cell degranulation(P<0.05).Conclusion Chuanxiong Tianma and topiramate have certain preventive effect on migraine headache induced by nitroglycerin in rats,which may be related to their inhibition of mast cell degranulation.