The invention discloses an orally taken and externally applied traditional Chinese medicine composite for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The composite is prepared from the following first and second groups of medicines in parts by weight: the first group: 20 parts of radix-polygoni multiflori, 10 parts of medlar, 10 parts of eucommia bark, 10 parts of Curculigo orchioides, 10 parts of epimedium, 20 parts of Fructus Psoraleae, 10 parts of ginseng, 10 parts of ophiopogon root, 15 parts of angelica, 20 parts of radix sileris, 12 parts of prepared radix aconiti carmichaeli, 15 parts of radix aconiti preparata, 10 parts of tuckahoe, 15 parts of pawpaw, 10 parts of radix angelicae pubescentis, 10 parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza, 15 parts of Scutellaria baicalensis, 10 parts of radix curcumae, 20 parts of rehmannia and 6 parts of liquorice; the second group: 20 parts of radix angelicae, 10 parts of monkshood, 10 parts of radix aconiti agrestis, 15 parts of radix sileris, 20 parts of rhizoma atractylodis, 10 parts of rhizoma arisaematis, 10 parts of peach kernel, 10 parts of angelica, 5 parts of natural borneol, 10 parts of sinapis semina and 3 parts of asarum, wherein the first group of medicines is orally taken medicines, and the second group of medicines is externally applied medicines. The total effective rate is 95.0 percent, according to 60 cases of the composite used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis.