Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common chronic disease in the elderly and leads to a high rate of disability. Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang (DHJST), a Chinese traditional medicinal formula, is a classic prescription for the treatment of KOA. Here, we investigated whether DHJST could inhibit inflammation and treat KOA through suppressing NLRP3/nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B inflammatory signals in rats. The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, p-NF-kappa B-P65, and p-I kappa Ba were detected in healthy adults and patients with KOA before and after treatment. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into normal group, model group, diclofenac sodium group (5 mg/kg), DHJST high-dose group (1 g/kg), and DHJST low-dose group (0.5 g/kg). The right hind knee joint of the rats, except normal group, was injected with 4% papain (0.25 mL/kg) once every 7 days for three times. All rats were treated for 3 weeks. The swelling volume of right hind paw; five classification of inflammatory cells in synovial fluid; pathological changes of the knee-joint synovial membrane and cartilage; levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in serum and knee-joint synovial fluid; and the expressions of NLRP3/NF-kappa B inflammatory signals in the knee-joint synovial membrane were detected. The serum levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, p-NF-kappa B-P65, and p-I kappa Ba in KOA patients treated with DHJST were significantly decreased. The KOA rats treated with DHJST showed significant decreases in swelling volume of right hind paws; the percentage of leukocyte, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and eosinophils in synovial fluid; the levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in serum and knee-joint synovial fluid; and the expressions of NLRP3 ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1 beta, p-NF-kappa B-P65, and p-I kappa Ba in the knee-joint synovial membrane, and showed an alleviation in pathological changes of the knee-joint synovial membrane and cartilage. Our data provide the first evidence that DHJST relieves KOA via suppressing NLRP3/NF-kappa B inflammatory signals in rats