Exploring the Prescription Patterns of Chinese Herbal Formulas in Coronary Heart Disease Treatments by Renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners

Objective This study collates 594 classical medical case formulas from renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for treating coronary heart disease, analyzing the pattern of formulas through data mining methods. Methods Clinical cases of coronary heart disease treated by famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were collected, and prescription data were screened and databased. Data mining was employed to analyze the frequency of use of Chinese herbs, the four properties and five flavors, meridian tropism, association rules, correlation, and clustering to explore the medicinal patterns in treating coronary heart disease. Results Renowned practitioners often use mild and warm Chinese medicines for treating coronary heart disease, mainly targeting the lung and heart meridians. The association rule method identified 48 strong association rules. Correlation analysis identified seven relevant combinations. Clustering analysis among prescriptions resulted in 16 core groups of medicines. Conclusion Sweet and warm Chinese medicines are commonly used in TCM to treat coronary heart disease, with a focus on relieving stagnation, promoting circulation, dispelling cold, invigorating blood, removing phlegm, attacking pathogens, and supporting healthy energy to restore organ function. The medicinal patterns demonstrated in this study may provide insights for the clinical treatment of coronary heart disease in traditional Chinese medicine.