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Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Chinese Medicine: A Review

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Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common refractory disease. Chinese medicine (CM) has remarkable efficacy and advantages on the treatment of IBS. This review summarized the articles focusing on the treatment of IBS with CM to sum up the latest treatment methods for IBS and the underlying mechanisms. Literature analysis showed that prescriptions, acupuncture, and moxibustion are the primary methods of CM treatment for IBS. The potential mechanism centers on the regulation of the enteric nervous system, the alleviation of visceral hypersensitivity, the stability of intestinal flora, and the regulation of the immune system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China

    Guan-ru Chen, Xiao-fang Xie & Cheng Peng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Chengdu, 611137, China

    Guan-ru Chen, Xiao-fang Xie & Cheng Peng

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  1. Guan-ru Chen
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  2. Xiao-fang Xie
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  3. Cheng Peng
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Contributions

Chen GR was responsible for conducting the work and wrote the main manuscript text. Xie XF was responsible for the analysis of articles. Peng C was coordinating professor of the project and wrote the main manuscript text.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cheng Peng.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this paper.

Supported by National Science and Technology Innovation Major New Drug Creation Project (No. 2018Zx09721001-008), Southwest Characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Gene Innovation Platform, Central Guidance Local Special Project (No. 2020ZYD058)

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Chen, Gr., Xie, Xf. & Peng, C. Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Chinese Medicine: A Review. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 29, 377–384 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-021-3521-4

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