Objective To explore the effects of Oridonin on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells and their molecular mechanism. Methods Different concentrations of Oridonin were used to intervene in hepatic stellate cells ( HSC-T6 ) for 48 h. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry were used to detect proliferation and apoptosis in HSC-T6 cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were used to detect the expression changes of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 9 (UBC9). The transfection of UBC9 small interfering RNA (si-UBC9) downregulated the expression level of UBC9 in HSC-T6 cells. Changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis were also evaluated using the aforementioned method. Results After Oridonin intervention, the proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate of HSC-T6 cells were significantly increased, the expression of UBC9 was significantly decreased and there was a significant dose-dependent relationship (P<0. 05). After downregulating UBC9 expression, the proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate of HSC-T6 cells were significantly increased and UBC9 expression was significantly decreased ( P< 0. 05). The overexpression of UBC9 was able to reverse the effects of Oridonin on the proliferation and apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells ( P< 0. 05). Conclusions Oridonin can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells. The underlying mechanism is related to the downregulation of UBC9 expression.