Medication Patterns and Clinical Experience of Professor Liu Aimin in Treating Alopecia Areata:A Data-mining Study Based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System
XING Huijie
WANG Li
WANG Qingxing
ZHENG Qinghu
Abstract：Objective To collect and systematically analyze the medical records of Professor Liu Aimin in treating alopecia areata(AA)by traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),and to elucidate medication patterns and clinical experience using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System(TCMISS,V3.0).Methods Clinical data of AA patients treated in the Professor Liu's clinic(Department of Dermatology,Henan Provincial Hospital of TCM)between May 2022 and May 2024 by TCM were retrospectively analyzed.Data were imported into TCMISS and reviewed independently by two investigators.The frequency of prescribed herbs,their properties(four qi,five flavors),meridian tropism,and core herb combinations were analyzed by data mining methods such as frequency analysis,association rule analysis,and cluster analysis.Results A total of 160 TCM prescriptions involving 123 distinct herbs were identified.TCM herbs with the frequency of 25 times and above included Poria(Fú Líng),Bupleuri Radix(Chái Hú),Polygoni Multiflori Radix(HéShǒuWū),Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium(Chén Pí),Angelicae Sinensis Radix(Dāng Guī),Chuanxiong Rhizoma(ChuānXiōng),and Platycladi Cacumen(Cè Bǎi Yè).Tonifying herbs were the most frequently employed category.The four-qi distribution was dominated by warm-natured drugs(warm:cold=1.72:1).The five flavors were predominantly sweet,bitter,and pungent.The herbs mainly entered the Spleen,Stomach,Liver,Heart,and Kidney meridians.The leading syndrome patterns were dual deficiency of qi and blood,liver depression and blood stasis,spleen deficiency with dampness retention,liver-kidney insufficiency,and liver depression with spleen deficiency.High-confidence herb pairs included Bupleuri Radix-Poria,Poria-Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,Poria-Polygoni Multiflori Radix,Bupleuri Radix-Polygoni Multiflori Radix,Bupleuri Radix-Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,and Polygoni Multiflori Radix-Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium.Four core prescription clusters were ultimately extracted.Conclusion Professor Liu Aimin treats AA with the liver,spleen,and kidney as the pivotal viscera,regarding dual deficiency of qi and blood,liver depression with blood stasis,spleen deficiency with dampness retention,and liver-kidney insufficiency as the principal pathological mechanisms.The therapeutic strategy centers on augmenting qi and nourishing blood,soothing the liver and relieving constraint,invigorating blood and dispelling stasis,fortifying the spleen and eliminating dampness,and enriching the liver and kidney,with modifications tailored to individual presentations to address both root and branch.
Keywords：Alopecia areataRenowned physician experienceLiu AiminTraditional chinese medicine inheritance support systemMedication pattern
Publication Date：2025-08-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-01(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 302-308 )