To analyze pathogenesis and treatment of renal fibrosis in traditional Chinese medicine based on data mining techniques.

All the Chinese periodical literatures as of November 2021were retrieved on the treatment of renal fibrosis with traditional Chinese medicine formulas from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, Wanfang database, and VIP database. Analysis was performed by meana of SPSS 20.0, SPSS Clementine 12.0, and Liquorice softwares.

A total of 899 literatures were included, involving 412 Chinese medical formulas with 284 Chinese medicines, and the cumulative frequency was 3331 times. The pathogenesis of renal fibrosis in traditional Chinese medicine was mainly deficiency of spleen and kidney, turbid toxicity and blood stasis, while the main treatment methods were strengthening spleen and kidney, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, relieving turbidity and detoxification. The top 10 most frequently used traditional Chinese medicines were: Astragalus membranaceus, Salvia miltiorrhiza, raw rhubarb, Angelica sinensis, Poria cocos, Ligusticum wallichii, Cornus officinalis, raw Rehmannia, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Chinese yam. Association rule analysis disclosed 51 drug pairs and 32 drug groups, with Astragalus membranaceus being the most compatible drug. There were 23 core traditional Chinese medicines, and the core prescription was Shenqi Dihuang decoction and Didang decoction with modifications.

The pathogenesis and treatment of renal fibrosis in traditional Chinese medicine is as follows. The deficiency in origin was the deficiency of spleen and kidney, while the excess in superficiality was mainly blood stasis and turbid toxicity. The treatment mainly focused on tonifying qi, strengthening spleen and kidney, promoting blood circulation, and relieving turbidity.