Regularity of TCM Extract Combination in Preventing and Treating Liver System Diseases - Based on Analysis of Patents in Force

OBJECTIVE To research the regularity of TCM extract combination of patents in force in preventing and treating liver system diseases, which provide a basis for the expansion of drug resources and reduction of marketplace pressures, and provide a reference for the independent research and development of new Chinese drug. METHODS With patents in force of TCM extract combination which granted before January 1, 2015, in preventing and treating liver system diseases as the study object, the frequency analysis and the cluster analysis were made for studying the core drug use, efficacy, channel tropism of the Chinese herbs, and the combination regularity of the Chinese herbs and their families. RESULTS ＆ CONCLUSION There were 1?072 times of Chinese herbs involved in total, among them, the majority of the high-frequency Chinese herbs(Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Astragalus membranaceus Bunge, Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort, Artemisia scoparia Waldst., etc.) were belong to the high-frequency families of Chinese herb(Labiatae, Leguminosae, Umbelliferae, Compositae, etc. ), the prevention and treatment effects in liver system diseases of the most of their active ingredients have been confirmed by modern pharmacological research. “Based on liver and heart, and supplemented by lung” is the combination principle of TCM extract combination, and the common herb couples coincided with the common family couples. The researchers in the field of TCM should be pay more attention to the low-frequency Chinese herbs which belong to the high-frequency families. Through the study of the low-frequency Chinese herbs combine with the high-frequency family couples, new herb-couples may be developed, and a new situation of the modern Chinese medicine R&D can be further promoted.