Objective: To investigate the frequently-used traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs) and their properties and compatible regularity in the prescriptions for tonifying kidney

in order to provide reference for clinical drug screening and rational drug combination. Method: The prescriptions with effect of tonifying kidney were collected from the Chinese Prescription Database by using BICOMB. The TCMs were extracted and their names were standardized according to the textbook to form a word-word matrix. The frequency statistics and Graphical Clustering Toolkit gCLUTO were adopted for a clustering analysis and visibility processing of the TCMs. Result: The 358 TCMs were involved in the 251 prescriptions of tonifying kidney

and 25 were frequently used. Most of the prescriptions were derived from Dialectical Record and other five prescription books. The compatible regularity of the TCMs could be divided into three main and five minor categories. In each category

they show the effect of tonifying kidney by clearing damp

tonifying Yang

nourishing Yin

nourishing blood and supplementing Qi. Conclusion: Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata

Poria Cocos

Angelica Sinensis

Semen Corni and Rhizoma Dioscoreae are the frequently used TCMs for tonifying kidney. Most of them feature sweet taste

warm and mild properties and enter kidney

liver

spleen meridians

with nontoxic. The therapeutic effects are promoted through coordination and antagonism among TCMs.