To analyze the medication rule of treating influenza in classical books of traditional Chinese medicine based on data mining,and to provide reference for medication and new drug development in clinical treatment of influenza.Methods:With “seasonal epidemic,epidemic,pestilence,warm disease,and plague” as the key words,the relevant prescription information was extracted from the Chinese Medical Classics(the fifth edition) which contains 1 156 classical books of traditional Chinese medicine.The prescriptions for treating influenza were screened out according to the established standards of inclusion and exclusion.After normalization of the prescription data,SPSS Modeler and Statistics were employed to carry out frequency count,association rule analysis,and hierarchical cluster analysis.Results:A total of 211 prescriptions were included,involving 176 Chinese medicines,including 48 high-frequency ones.The top 10 Chinese medicines with high frequency were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Gypsum Fibrosum,Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Scutellariae Radix,Ephedrae Herba,Bupleuri Radix,Platycodonis Radix,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,and Peucedani Radix.The main medicines were for releasing exterior,clearing heat,tonifying,resolving phlegm,relieving cough and asthma,resolving dampness,and regulating qi.The association rules analysis found out 8 medicine association rules with high confidence and lift above 3.The cluster analysis revealed 13 prescriptions.Conclusion:The prescriptions in classical books of traditional Chinese medicine contain a variety of therapies for influenza,including relieving exterior,clearing heat,dispelling cold,dispelling wind and relieving impediment,nourishing yin and clearing lung,replenishing qi and invigorating spleen,removing dampness,promoting urination and discharging heat,harmonizing qi and blood,smoothing chest,regulating qi and relieving pain.