Human body is considered as a complex network system

its pathogenesis is resulted from interactions of various factors

molecular network anomalies including multi-pathway and multi-target. So the treatment mode of drug with the only single target can not meet the demands of the complex diseases. It has given a powerful support to utilization of combinational drug with the emergence of network science such as system biology

network pharmacology. In this paper

taken as a key point

the origin

concept of combinational drug and trend of development in combination of Chinese and Western medicine have been reviewed in detail. It is also clarified in this paper that the generation of drug combination which integrates the advantage of characteristics of Chinese and Western medicine is the objective requirements of the complex human life system and the multiple pathogenic mechanisms

as well as the inevitable trend of modern drug development and show a broad development and application prospect.