Abstract: Objective To explore the origin and clinical applications of sargassum-glycyrrhiza medicinal pairs, and analyze their safety and efficacy. Methods We searched such databases as CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and the Cloud Platform of Ancient and Modern Medical Cases V2.3.9 for prescriptions relating to sargassum-glycyrrhiza pairs, established a prescription database by using Microsoft Excel 2021, and analyzed such pairs statistically in terms of origin, major applications, and compatibility. The association rules and clustering were investigated in depth by using SPSS Modeler 18.0 and SPSS Statistics 27.0. Results A total of 123 formulas were included, involving 334 flavors of Chinese medicines and with a total frequency of 1 809 times. The combinations of sargassum-glycyrrhiza originated in the Tang Dynasty, and were used mostly to treat breast fetish and scrofula, gall diseases, obstruction in the abdomen, and blindness. The safety depended on the dosage, the proportion of either drug, and the combination of medicines. Clinically, raw and unprocessed products of these drugs were usually used at the ratio of 2∶1, and were often combined with such drugs as kombucha, galbanum, angelica, dried tangerine peel and Ligusticum wallichii. Conclusion Sargassum- glycyrrhiza medicinal pairs are widely used in clinical combinations. The data on their clinical applications provided in this study is expected to contribute to safe, effective and rational clinical use of related drugs.

Key words: Sargassum, Glycyrrhiza, Eighteen Antagonisms, Origin, Compatibility