80% Methanol extracts of 44 traditional drugs used for the treatment of liver diseases or tonic effects were screened for anti-hepatotoxic activity by in vitro assay using $CCl_4-induced$ cytotoxicity in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. $CCl_4-induced$ cytotoxicity was evaluated by determination of LDH, GOT or GPT activity in the medium. Rehmaniae Radix Preparata and Gelantina nigra inhibited the release of LDH, GOT or GPT from $CCl_4-treated$ hepatocytes. Gibotii Rhizoma and Eucommiae Cortex showed inhibitory effect on release of LDH from normal hepatocytes as well as $CCl_4-treated$ hepatocytes. Eucommiae Cortex and Lili Bulbus decreased release of GOT and LDH from normal hepatocytes, respectively. Astragali Radix inhibited release of GPT in $CCl_4-treated$ hepatocytes. Phlomidis Radix, Imperatae Rhizoma, Cistanchis Herba, Broussonetiae Fructus, Asparagi Tuber, Trigonellae Semen and Polgonati Rhizoma inhibited release of LDH from $CCl_4-treated$ hepatocytes. Among 44 traditional drugs, most of them released LDH, GOT or GPT at the dose of 1 mg/ml in normal hepatocytes, and Drynariae Rhizoma, Acanthopanacis Cortex, Longanae Arillus, Atratylodis Rhizoma and Ecliptae Herba increased $CCl_4-induced$ cytotoxicity.