Exploration of the Mechanism of Tongmai Xianxiang in Treating Postherpetic Neuralgia Based on Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Network Pharmacology

Objective The aim of this study is to explore the potential target of Tongmai Xianxiang in the prevention and treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and network pharmacology. Methods Quantitative analysis using GC‐MS was employed to obtain the chemical components of Tongmai Xianxiang, and target site prediction was conducted; PHN‐related targets were collected from relevant disease databases; the anti‐PHN targets of Tongmai Xianxiang were obtained through network pharmacology methods, and molecular docking was performed on the main targets. Results A total of 633 active components were screened by GC‐MS, corresponding to 772 targets. By searching the disease database, a total of 169 PHN‐related disease targets were obtained after removing duplicates. A total of 53 core genes, including SLC6A4, MAOA, DRD2, and ALB, were obtained by intersecting the corresponding target and PHN target. Through molecular docking, the results indicate that ALB has the lowest free binding energy with Z‐butylidenephthalide, 2‐undecanol, and 1,6,10‐dodecatrien‐3‐OL, 3,7,11‐trimethyl‐, (E)‐. Conclusion Tongmai Xianxiang can prevent PHN by multitarget, multiprocess, and multipathway. This study provides new ideas and new targets for the intervention of Tongmai Xianxiang in PHN.