CHAPTER 12: Chemical–Disease Category Linkage (CDCL): Computational Methods Linking Traditional Chinese Medicines and Western Therapeutics

The therapeutic use of herbs and other natural products has been a fundamental part of many cultures for thousands of years. The systems pharmacology linkage of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) categories, diseases, and the molecular basis of therapeutic intervention, called chemical-disease category linkage (CDCL) in this chapter, has been the basis of combining TCM with conventional (Western) medicine to form the practice of integrated medicine, which encompasses the use of both conventional and alternative therapies. This chapter highlights data sources for identifying the active ingredients (phytochemicals) in herbs and recipes of multiple herbs, the molecular basis for potential activity in various diseases, and the Western therapeutics used for the same diseases. In addition, the concepts of combinations are reviewed in terms of potential interactions—both negative and positive—and how ethnic differences may alter responses to certain TCM formulations.