This article reviews the historical evolution of combined acupuncture and medication and the construction of its modern theoretical system, and sorts out its research status. It shows that combined acupuncture and medication can not only enhance the clinical efficacy of a single medication or acupuncture, but also reduce the toxic and side effects caused by drug use. Under this premise, combined acupuncture and medication further demonstrates the potential of "efficacy enhancement and drug reduction", that is, while ensuring or even improving the therapeutic effect, it reduces drug dosage and delays the need for drug dosage increase or drug replacement. This concept expands from the traditional "efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction" to "efficacy enhancement and drug reduction", marking a new direction for the development of this field. The combined acupuncture and medication model and its concept of "efficacy enhancement and drug reduction" have broad application prospects in the prevention and control of chronic diseases.