Objective To explore food and medicine homologous prescriptions for heat-clearing and detoxifying, with Lugen (Phragmitis Rhizoma) as the core, evaluate their antipyretic effect, and develop compound Phragmitis Rhizoma herbal tea. Methods A total of 181 Chinese patent medicine and formulations containing Phragmitis Rhizoma were retrieved from the Yaozh™ database. After screening, 97 formulations were included for data mining. The core composition of the herbal tea was identified through frequency statistics, cluster analysis, association rule analysis, and core complex network. The antipyretic effect and underlying mechanism were investigated using a dry yeast-induced febrile rat model. Results Data mining revealed that herbs used in Phragmitis Rhizoma-based formulations were predominantly sweet in taste and cold in property, primarily acting on the lung and stomach meridians. Eight traditional Chinese medicine combinations with high confidence and strong associations with Phragmitis Rhizoma were identified. Guided by traditional Chinese medicine theory, the core formulation was finalized as: Phragmitis Rhizoma, Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Dazao (Jujubae Fructus), Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix), Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix), Jinyinhua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos), and Korla fragrant pear. Animal studies showed that administration of low, medium, and high doses of the compound Phragmitis Rhizoma herbal tea significantly reduced the body temperature of febrile rats (P < 0.01). All dose groups significantly decreased serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, as well as hypothalamic prostaglandin E₂(PGE₂) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels (P < 0.01). Serum levels of interleukin‑6 (IL-6) were significantly reduced in the all groups (P < 0.05, 0.01). Conclusion The compound Phragmitis Rhizoma herbal tea can significantly reduce the body temperature of febrile rats. Its antipyretic mechanism is likely associated with decreasing serum levels of pyrogenic factors IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as reducing hypothalamus levels of pyrogenic, pro‑inflammatory, and algesic factors PGE₂ and cAMP content, there by causing a downward shift of the thermoregulatory set point.

compound Phragmitis Rhizoma herbal tea  /  antipyretic mechanism  /  data mining  /  functional food  /  Phragmitis Rhizoma  /  Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma  /  Menthae Haplocalycis Herba  /  Jujubae Fructus  /  Ophiopogonis Radix  /  Platycodonis Radix  /  Lonicerae Japonicae Flos