Differentiation of syndromes by zang-fu viscera is the core of syndrome differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine.The logical contradiction which is very difficult to be solved due to the same-position relationship,cause-result relationship and subordinate relationship between the various zang-fu viscera syndromes,however,often lead to a relatively serious side effect on the system of syndrome differentiation in clinic.The aim of this paper is to reveal the logical contradictory relationship between the zangfu viscera syndromes,to invite the scientific field to pay attention on the problem and solve it.

There is a very serious logical contradiction among the basic conceptions in Chinese medicine such as syndrome,symptoms and signs,pathogens and pathogenesis.And the situation get worse after the new conceptions melt in,which include key pattern elements,syndrome pattern,pattern,pattern of syndrome differentiation and so on.It is urgent and necessary for signifi cant and basic Chinese medicine research that we should unify,normalize and purify the basic conceptions in Chinese medicine,by merging,accepting and rejecting of the conceptions or the terms concerned on the basis of the defi nition of the connotation anew.

This study was aimed to investigate the functions and indications ofRehmannia glutinosa from old herbalism documents. The database management system ofPu-Ji-Fang was used to summarize the whole function, which was compared with theChinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 edition. The results showed that besides the same function,R. glutinosa was also widely used in the treatment of various heat syndromes, deficiency, sore ulcer, traumatism, irregular menstruation, arthralgia, blood stasis, apoplexia, cough, restlessness, and etc. With modern studies on pharmacodynamics and clinical applications, potential functions ofR. glutinosa were primarily conformed as clearing heat-fire (clearing heat-toxin), tonifying, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, soothing nerves, calming liver to extinguish wind, and removing wind-damp syndromes.

The standard ofClassificationandDetermination of Physical Constitutions in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which was issued by the China Association of TCM in 2009, has been promoted and implemented. However, we found that the criteria were inconsistent with the principles and methods of constitution classification in TCM after serious research. The features for physical constitution classification were repetitive and redundant without clear boundaries among them. Furthermore, there were poor correlations among different factors within a single physical constitution. Accordingly, it was suggested that the theory of physical constitutions in TCM should not be confused with and treated as the science of it. Because the standard ofClassiifcationandDetermination of Physical Constitutions in TCM is not mature enough, we should be cautious when applying it.

Itis confirmed that the core part of traditional functions of gentian is consistent with the record in Pharmacopoeia by comparison the gentian function recorded in ancient literatures, prescription andPharmacopoeia. We found some functions and disease treatments by gentian were not recorded by Pharmacopoeia. These functions summarized by ancient literatures included heat-clearing and detoxifying, eliminate rickets, tranquilizing, cooling blood and hemostasis and chlordimeform. And inPuji Prescriptions database those disease treatments by gentian included sore, rickets, feeling uneasy, seizures and bleeding. By analyzing the literature and combination with the results of modern pharmacology and clinical medicine research, it is believed that the potential functions of gentian are heat-clearing and detoxifying, rickets eliminating, tranquilizing, blood cooling and hemostasis and chlordimeform.

Since the theory of microcosmic syndrome differentiation was put forward in 1986, Chinese medicine academia has been unremittingly exploring this theory. Efforts were made to explain the syndrome in Chi-nese medicine with objective index of modern medicine, so that different syndromes of the same disease can be rec-ognized on the quantitative view and then apply syndrome differentiation with objective index. This paper compre-hensively analyzed and got the primary causes why microcosmic syndrome differentiation was difficult to apply. It in-cluded no-identical criterion, research design such as the choice of syndrome, reference syndrome, objective index and microcosmic level. Additionally, too many virtual syndromes resulting from applying syndrome differentiation on western medicine diseases existed widely. Consequently, it is extremely urgent that solve these problems and regulate the research thought.

This study took herbal medicinePoria cocosas an example to establish a method to explore the potential function of herbal medicine. And then, the new function was identified through the systematic study. It was able to improve the application range of herbal medicine and the clinical therapeutic effects. The established database management system ofPu-Ji-Fanghad been used for the searching ofPoria cocosin the treatment of different diseases in order to receive the compound prescription containedPoria cocos in different diseases. Then, indications recorded in herbalism literatures through dynasties and thePharmacopoeia of People’s Republic of China(Chinese Pharmacopoeia) were compared. Through statistical analysis and logical judgment, as well as the combination of modern pharmacological research results and clinical therapeutic evaluations, the overall understanding on conventional and potential functions ofPoria cocos were received. The results showed that the functions ofPoria cocos summarized through dynasties contained alleviating thirst, eliminating phlegm, enhancing memory, astringent, relieving cough and vomiting, invigorating blood circulation, promoting appetite and securing fetus, as well as treatment of deficiency, vomiting, stroke, diabetes, cough, cold damage syndrome, convulsion and other syndrome, were not recorded in theChinese Pharmacopoeia. It was concluded that tonifying kidney, relieving cough and phlegm, relieving vomiting, alleviating thirst, expelling wind, relieving convulsion and securing fetus were the potential function ofPoria cocos, which should arouse the attention from the academic community.

Syndrome attribute determined by signs and symptoms of an animal model through intervening in the clini-cal and animal syndrome differentiation standards is not standardized, objective or rigorous. The signs and symptoms of people are difficult to be expressed fully and accurately in the animal body correspondingly. The signs and symptoms of animals are mostly without any syndrome information. There are no difference of signs and symptoms among differ-ent modeling methods. Hence, it is difficult to determine the syndrome-attribution of an animal model based on signs and symptoms. There are two problems in drug reduction to determine syndrome-attribution of animal models. Firstly, for drug reduction, only one group is used in the animal subject. There are no other two groups or multi-groups of drugs compared with each other to confirm the syndrome-attribution of animal models. Lots of research results indicat-ed that multiple drugs with different functions can change the state and the objective index of the same animal subject. Secondly, employing the control principle, adjusting and improving the best drug for the animal subject were used to determine the syndrome-attribute. However, these studies cannot be operated, because the preliminary studies, such as the essence of syndrome, have not provided generally recognized effect indexes and index groups.

Intervening animals by pathogen of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to establish animal model is the most common and easiest method to determine syndrome attribute of an animal model. However, the underlying prob-lem of this modeling method is that the concept of wind, cold and dampness in the nature are confused with the syn-drome of wind-cold-dampness summarized by abnormal appearance of clinical patients. The typical animal model establishment are through the methods of wind blowing, low temperature freezing, cold water immersion, environmen-tal humidity increasing. Modern medical modeling methods, such as chemicals, organ resections, are also used in the establishment of animal models. Then, the syndrome-attribution of modeling animal is evaluated by physicochemical indexes of modern medicine which is one of modeling methods that have been used by academia in early times. But animal model established by this method is a kind of disease model which is lack of sufficient theoretical and clini-cal evidences. Therefore, the syndrome-attribution should be reappraised among this kind of animal models.

Studies showed that animal model of the so-called simple syndrome currently have corresponding modern medical disease without exception. Even such animal model is called simple syndrome model, its properties is a cer-tain modern medicine disease. There is no specific corresponding relationship between the syndrome-attribution and the syndrome. The signs and symptoms differentiation and abnormal physical and chemical detection indices after pathogen-modeling of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cannot be determined since there are no specific corre-sponding relationships. The study on disease-syndrome combination model contains both modern medical modeling method and TCM modeling method. This type of modeling method has its own existing shortcomings. Meanwhile, two modeling methods used in the model establishment have uncertain relationship. The disease-syndrome combination model is usually not established in the comparison among different syndromes of one disease. Therefore, it has no ex-clusive attribute. There are many problems existed in the TCM modeling method, disease-syndrome combination modeling method, and syndrome-attribute evaluation methods. The basic reasons are the wide difference between symptoms and signs for diagnosis in modern medicine disease. There are a few symptoms and signs for diagnosis in modern medicine. But there are much more symptoms and signs for syndrome differentiation of the same disease. Many symptoms for syndrome differentiation are unknown for its source of origin existed in a virtual state. It caused that many virtual syndromes abstracted by virtual symptoms, and was reflected by the relevant standards. It leads to devastating consequences for the development of animal modeling method.