Incretin includes glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide(GIP)and glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1)，bothof which can improve the proliferation of β cell， stimulate secretion of insulin and regulate appetite so as to decrease the glucose.As the understanding of incretin continues to deepen，there are more and more clinical studies with regard to the effect of Chinese medicine on incretin.The authors reviewed the effect of effective constituents in Chinese medicine，single medicine，and Chinese herbal compound on incretin in an attempt to provide references for the selection of more effective Chinese medicine for diabetes mellitus.