Chinese Herbal Medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Text-Mining the Classical Literature for Potentially Effective Natural Products

Table 2

Herbal formulas frequently identified in citations of treatments of conditions broadly consistent with rheumatoid arthritis.

Formula name^1	Frequency(n)^2	Formula ingredients^3; first book in group of citations^4 (year)^5
Wu tou tang	35	Ma huang, Shao yao, Huang qi, Gan cao, Chuan wu; Jin Gui Yao Lue Fang Lun (ca. 206)
Gan cao fu zi tang	28	Gan cao, Fu zi, Bai zhu, Gui zhi; Jin Gui Yao Lue Fang Lun (ca. 206)
Gui zhi shao yao zhi mu tang	21	Gui zhi, Shao yao, Gan cao, Ma huang, Sheng jiang, Bai zhu, Zhi mu, Fang feng, Fu zi; Zheng Yin Mai Zhi (ca. 1641)
Si wu tang (modified)	16 (21)	Cang zhu, Huang bai, Fu zi, Gan cao, Ma huang, Tao ren, Sheng Jiang, Niu xi, Chen pi, Gan cao, Bai zhi, Huang qin, Long dan cao; Ge Zhi Yu Lun (ca. 1347)
Fang ji huang qi tang	12 (13)	Fang ji, Huang qi, Bai zhu, Gan cao, Sheng jiang, Da zao; Mi Zhuan Zheng Zhi Yao Jue Ji Lei Fang (ca. 1443)
Wu ji san	8 (12)	Cang zhu, Jie geng, Zhi ke, Chen pi, Shao yao, Bai zhi, Chuanxiong, Dang gui, Gan cao, Rou gui, Fu ling, Hou pu, Gan jiang, Ma huang, Quan xie, Ma huang, Sheng jiang; Pu Ji Fang (ca. 1406)
Fu zi ba wu tang	11	Fu zi, Gan jiang, Shao yao, Bai zhu, Fu ling, Gui xin, Ren shen, Gan cao; Yi Fang Xuan Yao (ca. 1495)
Niu bang zi san	10	Niu bang zi, Dan dou chi, Qiang huo, Sheng di huang, Huang qi; Pu Ji Fang (ca. 1406)

¹Formulas with the same name can vary in their ingredients, and the same combination of ingredients may have different names. In these data, formulas with the same core ingredients and the same name are grouped together, while those with different main ingredients are separated. Also, formulas with the same ingredients but different names have been grouped together. ²The frequency is for the name in the left column, and the number in parentheses includes modified versions of the formula. ³Formulae that include an endangered species as a primary ingredient have been excluded, when the ingredient was minor and substitutable—the substitute has been recorded, when minor but not substitutable the ingredient has been excluded. For scientific names of ingredients written in Pin Yin and Chinese characters for traditional medicines and book names, see glossary in supplementary file. ⁴First book in group of citations; i.e., the oldest book within the group of included citations, not the first book that included the formula. ⁵Dates are approximate.