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New developments in the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of combination of Chinese medicine and Western medicine

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Abstract

It is very common to use Chinese medicine (CM) combined with Western medicine (WM) in clinical practice. The appropriate combination of CM with WM can reduce toxicity and enhance effects in order to make the best use of advantages and bypass the disadvantages. However, an inappropriate combination can not only affect the curative effect but even cause death. Therefore, strengthening the complementary advantages of the CM and WM to improve the therapeutic efficacy and reduce side effects has become an important research topic of clinical medicine and pharmacy. Many researchers try to clarify the effects of combining CM with WM on therapeutic efficacy and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion by pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics studies, providing evidence for clinical application. This review focuses on the new developments in the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the combination of CM with WM in order to give references for clinical treatment.

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  1. Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Translational Medicine Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100730, China

    Di Liu & Xiao-chun Liang

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  1. Di Liu
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Correspondence to Xiao-chun Liang.

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Supported by the Special Scientific Research Fund of Health Care Industry (No. 200902008-04)

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Liu, D., Liang, Xc. New developments in the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of combination of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 23, 312–319 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-016-2271-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-016-2271-1

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