ObjectiveTo explore the medication rules of Zhonghua Yidian for the treatment of impotency based on data mining method. MethodsPrescriptions from Zhonghua Yidian for treating impotency were retrieved, and then the database of prescriptions was established. The Gujin Yian Cloud Platform V2.3.5 was used to perform frequency analysis of drugs, and property, flavor and meridian analyses, association analysis, effect analysis, cluster analysis, as well as complex network analysis. ResultsA total of 127 prescriptions for the treatment of impotency were enrolled,involving 305 flavors of Traditional Chinese Medicines.The top 5 most frequently used drugs were Radix rehmanniae praeparata, Cuscutae Semen,Poria cocos,Fructus lycii,Rhizoma Dioscoreae. Properties of drugs were mainly warm, moderate, low warm, flavors of drugs were mainly sweet, acrid, bitter, meridians were mainly kidney meridian, liver meridian, spleen meridian, and effects were mainly muscles and bones toning up, kidney tonifying to strengthen yang, essence and blood replenishing. In the combination of drug pairs for the treatment of impotency, the top three drug pairs with support degree were Radix rehmanniae praeparata-Cistanche deserticola,Radix rehmanniae praeparata-Poria cocos,and Radix rehmanniae praeparata-Cornus officinalis, respectively. The cluster analysis was performed on drugs with use frequency≥20 times, and 4 drug combinations were obtained. The results of complex network analysis revealed that the core Traditional Chinese Medicines for the treatment of impotency were Radix rehmanniae praeparata, Cornus officinalis,Poria cocos,Rhizoma Dioscoreae, Schisandra chinensis, Cullen corylifolium, Cuscutae Semen, Fructus lycii, Eucommia ulmoides, Cistanche deserticola, Morinda officinalis, and Angelica sinensis. ConclusionTraditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions for the treatment of impotency in Zhonghua Yidian is closely related to pathogenesis, paying attention to combination of property, flavor, and meridians of drugs. The treatment is based on the method of "warming kidney to replenish yang, nourishing liver and replenishing essence", taking into account zang-fu, which exerts guiding significance for contemporary Traditional Chinese physicians in clinical treatment and medication of syndrome differentiation and in development of new treatment ideas to a certain extent.

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