Feasibility of Combination of Antagonism Chinese Medicinals based on the Theory of “Eighteen Antagonisms” / 中医杂志

ABSTRACT

The “eighteen antagonisms” of Chinese medicinals have been regarded as taboos in the field of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and the connotations have gradually been narrowed down in the development of TCM. From the historical perspective， “eighteen antagonisms” are not an absolute taboo in terms of the combination of medicinals， and the existing types of antagonism medicinals are also worth further discussion. From the perspective of toxicological effects， the toxicology of the “eighteen antagonisms” mainly comes from the enhancement of the toxic and side effects of a certain herb， rather than the combination of two herbs. From the perspective of pharmacodynamic actions， the combination of some antagonism medicinals can achieve therapeutic effects that cannot obtained by conventional medicinals， which is feasible and reasonable in clinical practice. Therefore， it is believed that the application of combining some antagonism medicinals based on “eighteen antagonisms” is of positive significance. Moreover， strict combination， processing and decoction methods should be noted in the use of antagonism medicinals. All mentioned above will provide reference for the correct recognition and use of the combination of “eighteen antagonisms”， and broaden the combination thinking for the treatment of clinical diseases with TCM.