1.Material Basis and Pharmacological Action of Tongxie Yaofang: A Review
Qingyu ZHAO ; Miao ZHANG ; Wenjing ZHAO ; Yiming WANG ; Fangyu SUI ; Zihe GUAN ; Jianwei WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(8):237-245
Tongxie Yaofang, also known as Baizhu Shaoyaosan, was first recorded in Danxi's Experiential Therapy (《丹溪心法》) by ZHU Danxi in the Yuan dynasty. It is composed of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, and Saposhnikoviae Radix, and serves as the representative prescription for the treatment of painful diarrhea. It has the functions of tonifying the spleen, emolliating the liver, relieving pain, and checking diarrhea, and is mainly used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC). In addition, it is effective in treating gastrointestinal disorders with mental and psychological abnormalities, as well as obstinate anorexia in children, depression syndrome, and respiratory diseases. Experimental research and clinical practice have shown that Tongxie Yaofang has multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target characteristics in the treatment of diseases. The mechanism of Tongxie Yaofang in treating diseases is mainly attributed to anti-inflammation, immune function regulation, intestinal hypersensitivity improvement, emotion regulation, etc. Monoterpene glycosides, flavonoids, chromones, lactones, and other components contained play an important therapeutic role. The research on the systems biology of Tongxie Yaofang, such as metabolomics, proteomics, and network pharmacology, provides a scientific basis for clarifying its mechanism of action and expanding its clinical application. However, there are still some problems to be solved, such as difficulty in combining diseases and syndromes and lack of in-depth systematic research. Through the retrieval and collation of relevant literature, this paper systematically reviewed the material basis, pharmacological effects, and systems biology research of Tongxie Yaofang, aiming to lay a foundation for in-depth research on its mechanism in treating diseases and rational application in clinical practice.