View on Life: the Mechanism of traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Lung Diseases by Treating the Large Intestine

Abstract: The disruption of gut microbiota and excessive immune responses are commonly observed in various respiratory conditions, including Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As supported by the theories of “treating the lung diseases from the large intestine (从肠治肺)” and “simultaneous treatment of lung and large intestine (肺肠同治)”, TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), has made significant contributions to the management of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and other respiratory conditions, demonstrating remarkable clinical effectiveness. Thus, our review sought to investigate the underlying material basis and scientific implications of this theory, specifically focusing on the regulation of gut microbiota thus providing new ideas for clinical treatment. We reviewed the therapeutic efficacy of TCM in treating lung diseases using the “treating the lung diseases from the large intestine” and “simultaneous treatment of lung and large intestine” methods. The mechanisms of action (MOAs) of TCM were also summarized. TCM can protect the abundance and inhibit the translocation of intestinal microbiota caused by lung diseases, exhibiting significant anti-inflammatory roles, etc. Additionally, TCM can regulate metabolic process, e.g., promoting the production of anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Meanwhile, Gut microbiota might be an important regulatory target for the therapeutic role of TCM to treat lung diseases.