Objective: To explore the composing principles of prescriptions for primary osteoporosis (POP) by using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Inheritance System

and provide references for the clinical treatment of POP. Method: The literature on TCM prescriptions for primary osteoporosis in CNKI were collected

then the data were input into the TCM inheritance system to establish prescription database. The composing principles of the prescriptions were analyzed by using the methods of frequency statistics

association rules

cluster analysis and complex system entropy clustering respectively. Result: Total 82 prescriptions related to POP were screened

involving 122 kinds of Chinese herbs. The herbs with high frequent use were Eucommiae Cortex

Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata

Epimedii Folium

Angelicae Sinensis Radix

Drynariae Rhizoma

and so on.The herbal combinations with higher frequent use were Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata-Eucommiae Cortex

Epimedii Folium-Drynariae Rhizoma

and Epimedii Folium-Eucommiae Cortex

et al. Six new prescriptions were got based on entropy clustering analysis. Conclusion: This study indicated that the prescriptions for POP were mainly in the liver

spleen and kidney meridians

and those herbs mostly had the functions of nourishing liver and kidney

invigorating spleen and supplementing Qi

promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. New prescriptions also mainly included those invigorating herbs based on entropy hierarchical clustering algorithm.