Objective To explore the effects of purslane, licorice, and dandelion compound on insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic rats. Methods Low-dose streptozotocin was combined with a high-sugar and high-fat diet to establish type 2 diabetic rats. After successful modeling, they were randomly divided into control ( normal), model, purslane, licorice, dandelion, compound, and metformin groups. After 4 weeks of intervention, Fasting blood glucose (FBG), Serum total cholesterol ( TC), Triglyceride ( TG), High-density lipoprotein ( HDL), Low-density lipoprotein ( LDL), and Fasting insulin (FINS) were measured in each group of rats. The changes in the values were calculated and Atherosclerosis index (AI), Insulin sensitivity index ( ISI), and Insulin resistance index ( IRI) values were calculated. The pancreatic tissue was cut into sections and the morphological changes were observed after staining. Results (1) The weight of each intervention group was significantly different from that of the model group (P< 0. 01), but the effect was not as good as metformin. (2)At 2 weeks, the FBG value of each intervention group was significantly lower than that of the model group (P< 0. 05); at 4 weeks, the FBG value of each intervention group was significantly lower (P< 0. 01), and there was no statistical significance between the compound group and the metformin group before and after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of intervention (P > 0. 05). ( 3) The 0. 5, 1, and 2 h blood sugar values of the compound and metformin groups were significantly lower after the glucose load, but there was a significant difference in 2-h blood glucose (P< 0. 05).(4) The ISI and IRI values of each intervention group were significantly higher and lower than those of the model group, respectively (P< 0. 01). (5) The levels of TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C in the metformin group were similar to those in the compound group (P> 0. 05). (6)Microscopic observation revealed that the compound group underwent repair and proliferation, and the cells were arranged evenly and uniformly in size, similar to those in the metformin group. Conclusions Purslane, licorice, and dandelion compound can regulate glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, repair islet β cells, and thereby improve insulin resistance. The overall effect of combination treatment is better than that achieved with single treatment.