Abstract:

Objective To preliminary explore the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) medication rules for constipation in children by means of data mining technology.Methods The researches in the treatment of constipation in children with traditional Chinese medicine were retrieved in CNKI，Wanfang and VIP database from 2009 to 2019.All literatures that met the inclusion criteria were screened out.Excel database was established，the frequency of drug use，the taste and efficacy were analyzed by association rule.Results A total of 175 prescriptions were selected，involving 163 herbs，with a total frequency of 1 894 times.The top ten herbs in terms of frequency included:hemp seed，Fructus aurantii，Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma，Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Atractylodes macrocephala，etc.The herbs tonifying deficiency accounted for the major part.The most common drug pairs were Linderae radix and Aucklandia radix，Scrophulariae radix and Ophiopogon japonicus，Linderae radix and areca seed etc.In the three associations，Ophiopogon japonicus，Pruni semen→Scrophulariae radix;Scrophulariae radix，Fructus aurantii→Rehmanniae radix;Ophiopogon japonicus，Armeniacae semen amarum→hemp seed were with the highest confidence coefficient.Whether it was drug pair or three-drug combination，there was close correlation between Qi-regulating drugs and Qi-regulating drugs，as well as between Yin-nourishing drugs and Yin-nourishing drugs.Conclusion TCM treatment for constipation in children has definite therapeutic effect，with the principle of treating both symptoms and root causes;attention is paid to invigorating the spleen and replenishing deficiency，regulating Qi and activating the spleen，relieving heat and removing stagnation.The guiding significance of “Qi” and “body fluid” should be emphasized in clinical treatment.

Key words:

Constipation, Data mining, Medication rules, Child