The incidence of diabetic ulcer is high, the disability and mortality are also high, and its treatment is difficult, and the healing mechanism is not clear. The main reason for the delayed healing of DU is that the chronic inflammation window period is too long, and macrophages play a key role in its healing process. The polarization of macrophages controls the length of the inflammatory phase, and autophagy is thought to be closely related to the tendency of macrophage polarization. Autophagy regulators have limited clinical application. Traditional Chinese medicine may become an ideal autophagy inducer and provide new ideas and strategies for clinical treatment of diabetic ulcers. This article summarizes the role of macrophage autophagic polarization in the healing of diabetic ulcers and the prospects of traditional Chinese medicine.