1. Overview of proteomics The term proteome was first introduced by Wilkins et al. in Electtophoresis [1] in July 1995, and refers to all the proteins expressed in a genome, or to the existence and activity of all the proteins in an organism or a cell or a tissue or an organism [2]. Proteomics research [3] is concerned with three main areas: (i) interaction proteomics: the study of protein interactions and the mapping of the network of protein interactions in a system; (ii) constitutive proteomics: the identification of proteins in a system and the detailed characterization of their post-translational modifications; (iii) comparative proteomics: the study of important life processes or major human (3) Comparative proteomics: the study of the protein expression of physiologically and pathologically important systems or processes that are important to life processes or major human diseases. Currently, comparative proteomics is most commonly used in clinical research. Under certain physiopathological conditions (e.g., different stages of disease development), the expression levels, post-translational modifications, etc. of members of each group are studied comparatively. Characteristic proteins are discovered and identified to provide targets for disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment [4]. This technique has been widely used in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases. 2. Proteomics research methods There are many protein research methods, of which four are more commonly used [5], namely two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, biological mass spectrometry, protein microarrays, and bioinformatics, of which mass spectrometry is noted as the core technology for proteomics research [6]. Currently, in terms of throughput and the content of molecular information contained, mass spectrometry-based proteomics techniques in cell biology research can identify and quantify functional molecules in specific cellular life processes, for example, mass spectrometry can identify several thousand protein molecules in a single study and can give the status of molecular modifications present in proteins. 3. Research applications of proteomics in Chinese and Western medicine 3.1 Research applications of proteomics in diagnosing diseases Wang Liping [7] et al. applied surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI -TOF -MS) technique to study the serum proteomics of patients with blood stasis evidence of IgA nephropathy and detected The peaks of M/Z at 2,687.74, 3,196.19, 8,567.20, and 8,713.48 were found in both healthy subjects compared with IgA nephropathy patients with hemoptysis and in those with hemoptysis compared with non-hemoptysis. The protein peaks may be specific to the blood stasis evidence. In this study, we have successfully established the intra-gel differential two-way electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) profiles of plasma from four patients with diabetic nephropathy and normal plasma. These differential proteins may be targeted biomarkers for the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy in Chinese medicine, which can help to discover the specific proteins of diabetic nephropathy and the material basis of kidney-yang deficiency. The above study demonstrates the feasibility of applying proteomics to the study of TCM patterns and provides a tool for early clinical diagnosis. In addition, a single biomarker may not accurately represent a particular disease, so the discovery of multiple biomarkers such as DNA-based, blood-based, and cerebrospinal fluid-based biomarkers is particularly important [9].Joanna kisluk et al. applied proteomic biomarkers to the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer. In the oral cavity, three salivary proteins (calcium defense protein, haptoglobin HP2, and alpha 2 glycoprotein of zinc) have the potential to be used as tools for the diagnosis of early stage non-small cell lung cancer. In addition to this, interstitial fluid is directly associated with tumors and it is an important source of tumor-specific markers. Interstitial fluid was compared with tissue adjacent to the primary tumor and identified 24 tumor-associated proteins (11 upregulated and 13 downregulated), among which PRDX1 levels were 6-fold elevated and significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and tumor differentiation [10]. 3.2 Research applications of proteomics in the treatment of diseases By modulating the specific proteins carried by the disease, it is valuable for the treatment of the disease. Also, analysis of the protein differences exhibited by the disease after and before the administration of the drug can be beneficial for the therapeutic study of the disease. Liu Peng [11] et al. applied SELDI – TOF -MS technique to analyze the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying and cooling blood and resolving blood stasis on protein expression in rats with endotoxin liver injury [using intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin (LPS) to make rats with endotoxin liver injury model], and the results showed that 11 significantly differentially expressed protein peaks were obtained in the serum of the model group compared with the Chinese medicine group. In the model group, 11 protein peaks were obtained in the serum compared with the Chinese medicine group. Compared with the model group, the protein peak with a relative molecular mass of 4,200 daltons was highly expressed in the TCM intervention group, and the protein peaks with a relative molecular mass of 8,984 daltons and 9,005 daltons were lowly expressed in the TCM intervention group. Thus, it was inferred that the differential expression of these three proteins might be an important molecular mechanism for the anti-endotoxic liver injury of Qinghe detoxification and blood cooling herbs. Wang Liping [12] et al. used serum protein fingerprinting to screen the differential protein expression peaks of serum before and after treatment in patients with IgA nephropathy with blood stasis, and hypothesized that the protein peak with M/Z of 8 713.48 might be the specific protein of IgAN blood stasis, and by regulating the protein peak with M/Z of 8 713.48, it might be the molecular basis of leech treatment of IgA nephropathy with blood stasis. For thousands of years, Lithospermum serpentum has been widely used to relieve pain, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. A recent proteomics study using centrifugal reactors and Nano Lc-MS/MS to study the effects of S. cerevisiae on neuronal cells showed that hupreazine A protects N2a cells from amyloid β-induced cells from death by decreasing the concentration of P53 [13 ]. 3.3 Exploring the pathogenesis of diseases Proteins are involved in the defense of the body, catalyzing metabolic reactions, regulating substance metabolism and physiological activities. Diseases result in the up-regulation or down-regulation of certain proteins, which affect the realization of their physiological functions and thus produce specific symptoms that are manifested by certain diseases. Song Xuejiao [14] established a spleen and yin deficiency rat model and observed the protein expression changes in the ileum tissues of the experimental spleen and yin deficiency group and the healthy control group by using proteomics techniques, and obtained six protein expression differences. Among them, one protein was down-regulated, which was heat shock protein 90, a cell signaling pathway protein that acts as a molecular chaperone, protects cells, is related to infection, is related to immune regulation, and is related to apoptosis. explored and found that 39 proteins in AS patients were different from normal subjects, 27 of which were identified in the MS-fit protein database, and these proteins were involved in many biological responses, including calcium-mediated vascular smooth muscle cell migration, matrix metalloproteinase activation, and regulation of proinflammatory cytokines. Hongjuan Jiang et al. found that the expression of HSP70, Eotaxin,VDBP was significantly different before and after ICS treatment, in which HSP70 could regulate the release of asthmatic inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators by regulating the expression of synaptic fusion protein, and its expression was controlled by dexamethasone [16]. The rapid development of proteomics has opened up a new way to study the “evidence” in Chinese medicine. Under the guidance of evidence theory, the proteomics approach can be used to explore the evidence and reveal all the proteins and their characteristics related to the formation of a certain evidence, so as to elucidate the essence of the evidence at the level of overall protein expression and provide a possibility to evaluate the essence of the evidence as a whole [17]. The study of the proteomics of TCM symptoms may reveal their scientific connotations [18]. The above research results also indicate that the idea of using proteomics as an entry point to study the essence of TCM symptoms of diseases is highly feasible and is conducive to understanding the material basis of symptoms dynamically from a microscopic perspective [19]. At the same time, plasma proteomics can stratify disease prognosis [20], which is related to the prognosis of TCM disease to determine the progression of positive and evil, and has certain guiding significance for TCM to determine prognosis. 5. Shortcomings of proteomics applied to the field of TCM Limitations of proteomics research techniques: (1) Current research techniques are still limited in their ability to identify proteins of extreme properties such as: extreme acids, extreme bases, and small molecule proteins [18]. (2) Proteomics research is still in its infancy and still has much room for development: most studies stay on the description of the phenomenon of differential proteomic expression, with little research on the biological significance of differential proteins and their interconnections and roles, and little research on the exploration of targets [21]. (3) Methods of integration of proteomic data and models need to be improved: in order to utilize proteomic data, we must find ways to integrate the development of data and models to understand the complexity of cells and organs [22]. (4) The clinical application of herbal medicines is limited because their specific pharmacological mechanisms of action are still not well defined. 6. Prospects Proteomics explores the activities of life at the protein level and brings light to the treatment of diseases. However, the complexity of protein composition and structure, the processing technology of high abundance proteins, the limitation of protein separation technology [23] and the uncertainty of TCM syndromes have limited its research scope in the field of combined Chinese and Western medicine, but the technology will not remain unchanged, and it is believed that in the future development, the application of proteomics in the field of combined Chinese and Western medicine will be more extensive.