RESUMEN
As the fundamental rule to construct multi-herb prescriptions of Chinese materia medica (CMM), formula compatibility is the key to study the principles of CMM prescriptions. Modern scientific connotation on the formula compatibility could be investigated on the aspects of chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, according to the interactions between CMM prescriptions and the organism. The chemistry of CMM prescriptions is a prerequisite to investigate formula compatibility, and chemical alterations, including quantitative and qualitative changes,induced by formula compatibility are especially emphasized. Formula compatibility can modify the pharmacokinetic behavior of drugs by regulating key steps of pharmacokinetic process to influence the effect and toxicity of CMM prescriptions. Ingredients of a formula affect its therapeutic actions;to elucidate the therapeutic mechanisms of formula compatibility, a new method named "combination of drug targets guided by the pathophysiology of diseases" is proposed to investigate the phenomenon that multi-components of a formula act on multi-target in the organism. It sheds light on understanding the mechanisms of improving effect/reducing toxicity of formula compatibility and provides the reference to enhance the modern scientific research of CMM prescriptions.