Objective To analyze the strain selection, sex, modeling key points, evaluation method of 6- hydroxydopamine(6-OHDA) induced Parkinson’ s disease ( PD) model in rats and its application on the screening of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of Parkinson’ s disease. Methods Recent literatures related to 6-OHDA models in the CNKI and PubMed databases in 20 years were collected. The strains of rats, the weight, sex, modeling key points, evaluation method were analyzed, along with the application of 6-OHDA model in anti-PD traditional Chinese medicine screening. Results Male SD or Wistar rats are mostly selected as PD models in rats induced by 6-OHDA. The injection site is usually unilateral substantia nigra, medial forebrain bundle or striatum. Apomorphine induced rotation experiment, brain histomorphology, molecular biology and biochemical indicators are usually detected 4 weeks after modeling to determine the success rate of the model and the effectiveness of drugs for prevention and treatment of PD. Conclusions This study provides a useful reference for the use of 6-OHDA induced PD model regarding the strain selection, sex, modeling key points, evaluation method and the application on the screening of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of PD.