In this study, common prescriptions were retrieved from existing data in multiple ways to determine the selection principle of common formulas in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) clinical practice guidelines. Taking the selection of common prescriptions in the clinical practice guidelines of TCM for migraine as an example, we searched common prescriptions for migraines from National Essential Medicine List, the National Drug Catalog for Basic Medical Insurance, Work-related Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance, Chinese Pharmacopoeia, three teaching materials and two clinical practice guidelines, and we also electronically searched CNKI, VIP, WanFang about famous clinical experience for migraine published from 1990 to 2019. At the same time, 32 prescriptions commonly used by experts in the clinical questionnaire survey were collected to summarize and analyze the TCM clinically applicable syndrome types and medication rules of the included prescriptions and medicines. From the National Essential Medicine List, the National Drug Catalog for Basic Medical Insurance, Work-related Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance, Chinese Pharmacopoeia, we got 12 Chinese patent medicines. From the teaching materials, we got 9 prescriptions. From the clinical practice guidelines, we got 8 prescriptions. We got 3 prescriptions from the experience of famous experts and got 4 prescriptions from experts in the clinical questionnaire survey. A total of 24 prescriptions were included from the above results. External wind syndrome, syndrome of blood stasis and brain blocking, and syndrome of liver Yang transforming into wind were the common syndrome types in the treatment of migraine. Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix were the most common Chinese herbs in the prescriptions. Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Angelicae Dahuricae Radix was the most common drug pair for the treatment of migraine. By retrieving the data such as the famous clinical experience and teaching materials, we systematically summarized the prescriptions in the treatment of migraine in this study, which can provide a basis for the selection of traditional Chinese medicines in clinical practice guidelines.
Keywords: clinical experience; clinical practice guidelines of traditional Chinese medicine; migraine; traditional Chinese medicine; traditional Chinese medicine syndrome type.