Chinese medicine and Western medicine belong to two different medical theories, but their purpose is to prevent and cure diseases, Chinese medicine is calm and safe, and Western medicine is convenient and fast, which has led to the interpenetration of Chinese and Western medicines. The joint use of Chinese and Western medicines originated from Zhang Xichun’s gypsum aspirin soup in the late Qing Dynasty, and now the joint use of Chinese and Western medicines has become a common phenomenon in clinical practice. But the combination of Chinese and Western drugs is not a simple stack of Chinese and Western drugs, or the mechanical addition of drug efficacy, but there is a complex pharmacological reaction. If the combination of Chinese and Western drugs is reasonable, it can play the role of synergistic detoxification, so that the treatment of many difficult diseases receive unexpected results. The synergistic and detoxification effects of the combination of Chinese and Western drugs mainly include synergistic effects and reduction of toxic side effects. Liu Deshan, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University 1. Synergistic effect Synergistic effect on the one hand is the addition of the respective effects of Chinese and Western drugs. For example, Huang Lian, Huang Bai and tetracycline, sulfa drugs used in combination for the treatment of dysentery, bacterial diarrhea have a synergistic effect, the efficacy increases exponentially. Yinhua and forsythia can strengthen the inhibitory effect of penicillin on drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, ephedra has synergistic effect with penicillin in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, and the combination of Citrus aurantium and gentamicin in the treatment of biliary tract infection can significantly improve its antibacterial effect. The combination of dandelion and methotrexate can strengthen the antibacterial effect, which is effective in the treatment of tonsillitis and bronchitis. The combination of poria, zedoary and dihydrocoumaric acid can enhance the diuretic effect. Another aspect of synergistic effect is that Chinese herbs affect the metabolism of western drugs, increase the absorption of western drugs and improve the efficacy. For example, Scutellaria baicalensis, Sharen, Mu Xiang and Chen Pi can increase the absorption of digoxin, vitamin B12 and other drugs and improve the efficacy. Boric acid alkalizes the urine and increases the absorption of tetracycline and erythromycin. Schisandra, hawthorn and umeboshi can acidify the urine, reduce the excretion of penicillin and sulfonamides, and improve their therapeutic effect. 2. Reduce toxic side effects Western medicine often causes malfunction of other systems while treating a certain disease, resulting in imbalance of yin and yang of the body and producing more obvious toxic side effects. Chinese medicine can adjust the body’s endocrine, correct the imbalance between the body’s yin and yang, antagonize the toxic side effects of Western drugs, thus reducing the toxic side effects of Western drugs, to increase the effect of detoxification. For example, Bletilla and cuttlebone can treat gastrointestinal reactions caused by 5-Fu and CTX, Xiao Chai Hu Tang and Ginseng Tang can reduce the bone marrow suppression caused by mitomycin, etc., and raw earth, licorice and chasteberry can all reduce the ototoxicity of streptomycin. Chinese herbal medicines that benefit qi and nourish yin or nourish yin and clear heat can treat leukopenia and gastrointestinal reactions after tumor chemotherapy and can reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs on liver, kidney and other organs, eliminate fatigue and improve the quality of survival. In conclusion, the combination of Chinese and Western medicines is now commonly used in clinical practice. If the combination of Chinese and Western medicines is used in a reasonable manner, it will have the effect of increasing the effectiveness and detoxification and receive unexpected therapeutic effects.