Analysis of Polypharmacy-Structure of Chinese Medical Prescription (II) / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

The group of 12 “Shimotsu-to rui” chinese medical prescriptions containing Angelica acutiloba Kitag., <I>Cnidium officinale</I> Mak., <I>Paeonia lactiflora</I> Pall. and <I>Rehmannia glutinosa</I> (Gaertn.) Libosch were analysed by multiple dimensional scaling analysis (M-D-SCAL), <I>quantification of the third type</I> (QT-III) and cluster analysis (C.A.).<BR>M-D-SCAL were carried out in 2 ways, by that of the angle method and the Jaccard's coefficient. Using the angle method in analysing the 12 prescriptions, the “Orengedoku-to” groups and the diuretic & peptic prescription groups were clarified and some prescriptions containing specific herbs were located in a marginal region, and these locations were fit for traditional information.<BR>QT-III gave a simular location of the prescriptions to the result of the M-D-SCAL with Jaccard's coefficient. In this method, not only the prescriptions, but also the herbs simultaneously can be located. This made possible the interpretation of the intra-relations between the 12 prescriptions, in terms of the axis pertaining to the herbs. Certain herbs consistently fall into the same categorical region, indicating a shared relationship and corresponding to the traditionally conceived “Yaku-tsui” or “paired herbs”.