Objective To explore the effect of cetirizine combined with compound glycyrrhizin in the treatment of chronic urticaria. Methods A total of 84 patients with chronic urticaria admitted to the dermatology clinic of Hanchuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from August 2022 to March 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to the random number table method, they were divided into control group and study group, with 42 patients in each group. The control group was treated with cetirizine, and the study group was treated with cetirizine and compound glycyrrhizin. The symptom score, IgE level, eosinophil ratio and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The number of wheals, the degree of itching, the duration of wheals and the number of episodes per day in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). After treatment, the level of IgE and the proportion of eosinophils in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion For patients with chronic urticaria, cetirizine and compound glycyrrhizin can effectively improve the clinical symptoms, alleviate the body's inflammatory response and enhance the immune system function, as well as reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.