As the smallest combination unit of Chinese medicinals， herbal pairs serve as the bridge between medicinals and formulas， whose combination theory reflects the basic characteristics of Chinese medicinals combination and the core essence of prescription composition. Simultaneously， as a key combination of medicinals in clinical treatment of diseases， syndromes， and symptoms， herbal pairs are the main form of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as well as the characteristic advantage of treating diseases. This article summarized that “mutual complement of medicinals of same or antagonism flavor and nature” theory is the theoretical origin， and efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation is the core purpose of the combination of herbal pairs. The property theory of Chinese medicinals and the thought of differentiation and treatment are the main basis of the combination of herbal pairs， and pertinence and flexibility are the key points in clinical application. All mentioned above are expected to provide theoretical guidance for the clinical use and modern research of herbal pairs.
Herb-Drug Interactions

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.

The intangible cultural heritage of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is the essence of the treasure house of TCM. The State Council has successively announced five batches of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects and lists of inheritors， including 182 projects and 130 inheritors in traditional medicine. A systematic analysis of current traditional medicine projects and inheritors has found problems such as unreasonable categorization， obvious category bias， large regional distribution gap， serious aging of the inheritance team， and under emphasizing in ethnic minority medicine. Therefore， it is suggested to adjust categories， balance development， rationalize categories， and increase attention， thereby providing reference for the protection of TCM intangible cultural heritage.

This paper summarized professor ZHANG Lei′s experience in treating scleroderma from “extraordinary pathogens entering collaterals”. The basic pathogenesis of scleroderma is “extraordinary pathogens entering the collaterals”， and extraordinary pathogens can be divided into external and internal categories. External extraordinary pathogens are mostly exogenous wind， cold and damp pathogens， and the pathogenesis is wind， cold and damp invading skin stria and retaining collaterals. Most of the endogenous extraordinary pathogens are turbid phlegm and blood stasis， and the pathogenesis is endogenous phlegm and stasis leaving the channels and overflowing the collaterals， and blocking the collaterals. Blocked by extraordinary pathogens for a long time， the long illness will lead to deficiency and develop into a syndrome of collaterals excess and channels deficiency. Therefore， professor ZHANG creats Tengluo Beverage （藤络饮） as the basic formula to unblock collaterals and dispel pathogens， and recommends to add or subtract it according to the different syndrome and pathogenic characteristics of the edema stage， sclerosis stage， and atrophy stage. In the edema stage， it is advised to expel wind， remove dampness and unblock the collaterals， while in the sclerosis stage， the method of dissolving phlegm， expelling stasis and unblocking collaterals should be used； in the atrophic stage， it is suggested to differentiate the deficiency of qi， blood， yin and yang， and eliminate extraordinary pathogens on the basis of reinforcing healthy qi .

This paper summarized the clinical experience of AI Rudi in the treatment facial hormone-dependent dermatitis with the method of clearing heat and protecting yin. It is believed that the key pathogenesis is the heat toxin accumulation， yin depletion and collaterals obstruction. The clinical treatment should focus on “heat exuberance” and “yin depletion”. It is advocated that “half treatment is from heat and half from yin” is the general principle， and the treatment is staged. In the acute phase， the treatment is half from cooling blood and dispersing wind to dispel heat pathogen， and half from protecting fluid and moisturizing skin to strengthen yin； and the modified Liangxue Xiaofeng Powder （凉血消风散） could be used. In the chronic phase， half treatment is from clearing residual toxin to eliminate heat pathogen， and half from nourishing yin and unblocking collaterals to strengthen yin， for which Xuanmai Ganju Decoction and Erzhi Pills （玄麦甘桔汤合二至丸） can be used and modified according to the symptoms. At the same time， we should pay attention to the simultaneous internal and external treatment， and emphasize the importance of daily protection in the treatment of the disease.

The experience of famous and veteran physicians in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is a supplement to the cognition of industry groups and a high-quality learning resource. Digital inheritance of the experience of famous and veteran TCM physicians refers to the use of digital technology to record， organize， protect， spread， share and innovate the knowledge， skills and experiences of famous and veteran TCM physicians， which helps to overcome the inefficiency of traditional experience inheritance and realize the inheritance and development of TCM culture. Digital inheritance has certain advantages in accessibility， loss resistance， accuracy， innovation ability and effectiveness， which can assist the digital preservation， analysis and excavation of the experience of famous and veteran TCM physicians， and is an important supplement to the traditional way of learning from teachers. Digital inheritance is usually divided into the following steps： building a database of TCM knowledge， building a database of experienced medical records of famous and veteran TCM physicians， discovering laws by data mining， and assisting clinical decision-making with machine learning. The digital inheritance of famous and veteran TCM physicians is not only the use of experience information， but also the process of innovation and productization based on experience， which may become a new service model of TCM diagnosis and treatment.

Ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent mode of programmed cell death characterized by iron deposition and accumulation of lipid peroxidation. More and more studies have found that ferroptosis is closely related to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. The yin-fire theory is an important part of LI Gao's spleen-stomach theory， and it is believed that qi-fire imblance and yin-fire internal generation is the main pathogenesis of T2DM. Abnormal iron metabolism may be an important prerequisite for T2DM yin-fire internal generation， while oxidative stress is the specific manifestation of T2DM qi-fire imbalance. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） is the end product of qi-fire imbalance， and lipid peroxide is the pathological products of T2DM yin-fire internal generation. This study intends to explore the pathological mechanism of qi-fire imbalance and yin-fire internal generation from the perspectives of iron metabolism， oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation， enriching the modern connotation of yin-fire theory， and benefiting traditional Chinese medicine to target against ferroptosis， and prevent and treat T2DM precisely.