Research Methods of Compatibility of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas and Its Advances / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Traditional Chinese medicine formulas (TCMF) is composed of several Chinese herbal medicines based on the theory of TCM. It plays a synergistic role under the appropriate dosage ratio to achieve the overall adjustment and treatment of TCM. It is of great significance to study the compatibility of TCMF in promoting the modernization, development and clinical application of TCM. The compatibility law is the core of TCMF theory. In recent years, based on the seven compatible relations and monarch-minister-assistant-guide principles, the composition, pharmacological activity and pharmacokinetic properties of the TCMF and their compounds were studied by new techniques and new methods, and the scientific connotation of compatibility of TCMF was discussed from different perspectives. In addition, the establishment of a variety of mathematical methods and models, the development and application of network pharmacology and data mining methods also provide great help to the research on compatibility of TCMF. The development of research methods has promoted the scientific research on the compatibility of TCMF, but it is the main task of the research on the TCMF compatibility to establish the suitable research methods for the complex relationship of pharmacodynamic substances, to clarify the internal roles of TCMF and their compounds/components compatibility, and to construct a new modern TCMF.