Abstract： Objective： To discuss the clinical effect of Zanghonghua capsules combined with mirtazapine tablets for depression and its effect on cognitive function. Methods： A total of 235 cases of patients with depression were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was treated with mirtazapine tablets，and the study group was additionally treated with Zanghonghua capsules based on the treatment of the control group. The indexes of cognitive function including memory quotient，immediate memory，short-term memory and long-term memory，the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)， interleukin-1β(IL-1β)，total effective rate as well as the scores of depression and anxiety in the two groups were compared. Results： After treatment， the total effective rate in the study group(97.5% ) was higher than that in the control group (87.8% )， the difference being significant(P＜0.05). After treatment， the score of memory quotient， immediate memory， short-term memory and long-term memory in the study group were all higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05)；the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were lower(P＜0.05)；the scores of depression and anxiety were lower(P＜0.05). Conclusion：The therapy of Zanghonghua capsules combined with mirtazapine tablets in treating depression has higher total effective rate， which can significantly reduce inflammatory responses and improve cognitive function.