Comparative efficacy and safety of mesalazine-based regimens with traditional Chinese medicines in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis

Combining mesalazine with selected TCM formulations can enhance clinical response, reduce inflammatory cytokines, and beneficially modulate gut microbiota without increasing adverse events. CurQD or Kangfuxin may be prioritized for symptomatic improvement, Glycyrrhizae or Baitouweng for Mayo score reduction, Scutellaria for cytokine control, and Shaoyao or Glycyrrhizae for microbiota modulation. High-quality multicenter RCTs are warranted to confirm these comparative rankings.