Objective To establish a rabbit model of atherosclerosis (AS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and then to determine the effect of the extracts of Rhodobryum roseum Limpr., a Chinese herbal medicine on the rabbit AS and ischemic myocardial angiogenesis. Methods A total of 30 white rabbits were randomly and equally divided into 3 groups, that is, normal control group (fed with the full diet), high-fat feed group and R. roseum intervention group (fed with high fat diet and intra-gastric injection of the extract). At the end of the 9 weeks’ feeding, AMI was inflicted by opening chest and ligating the left anterior descending artery (LAD). At the end of experiment, the blood biochemical indicators were determined, and blood vessels and heart tissue were collected for pathological observation. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of the cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the myocardium. Results Compared with the control group, the high-fat group and the intervention group had significantly increased creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), troponin I (TnI), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P＜0.01). The serum levels of TC, TG, CK-MB and TnI were very significantly decreased (P＜0.01), and that of LDL-C was obviously reduced (P＜0.05) in the intervention group than in the high-fat group. The pathological grade was very significantly higher in the high-fat group than in the control group (P＜0.01), and the grade of the intervention group was between those of the former groups (P＜0.05). CD34 and VEGFR2 were significantly expressed with stronger positive intensity in the high-fat group than in the control group (P＜0.01). Their expression levels in the intervention group were obviously lower than those of high fat group but higher than those of the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion High fat feeding for 9 weeks and ligating LAD artery can successfully establish a rabbit model of AS and AMI. The extract of R. roseum attenuates AS and myocardial ischemic necrosis and inhibits the expression of CD34 and VEGFR2 in the myocardium.