Objective To research the literature feature of clinical articles using formulas comprising the combination of Gancao （Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae） and Gansui （Radix Kansui）.Methods The clinical articles using formulas comprising the combination of Gancao and Gansui were searched in the Chinese Journal Full-Text Database

VIP database

Chinese Medical Current Contents

China Biology Medicine disc

Wanfang Database

TCMonline

PubMed and Cochrane Library.The literature feature was analyzed according to the indication

dosage

compatibility proportion

dosage form

administration route and medicinal processing.Results Totally 119 articles were involved

of which 72 articles include clear diagnosis of TCM.The combination of Gancao and Gansui was commonly used to treat internal diseases （62 articles）and then followed by surgery （5 articles）

orthopedics （3 articles） and dermatology （2 articles）.The common dosages of Gancao were 6g

10g

5g and 30g and the mostly-used dosage was 6g.The common dosages of Gansui were 5g

1g and 3g and the mostly-used dosage was 1g.There were 25 kinds of dosage rates and the most frequently used ratio was 1∶1.The commonly used form was raw Gancao （102 articles） and vinegar-processed Gansui （117 articles） as decoction （66 articles） and taken orally （68 articles）.There were 21 articles （91%） considered that Gancao and Gansui could be used together and 2 articles （9%） considered that Gancao and Gansui could be used together safely and effectively in 23 articles mentioned adverse events.Conclusion Literature reports indicate that the combination of Gancao and Gansui does have some effect.The commonly used form was raw Gancao and vinegar-processed Gansui in 1∶1 ratio as decoction and taken orally for internal diseases but its safety cannot be determined.