Traditional Chinese Medicine: Dual Antibacterial Actions via Host Defense Balance and Bacterial Inhibition

With the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance (AR), there is an urgent need for effective alternatives in clinical practice. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been a major treatment method in China for several thousand years and has treated many diseases. In recent years, the global influence of TCM has been on the rise, with an increasing number of countries and regions paying attention to, researching, and exploring the value of TCM. This review summarizes recent findings on how TCM combats bacterial infections by enhancing host defense mechanisms, mechanical, chemical, biological, and immunological barriers, and inhibiting bacterial growth with various approaches. In contrast to previous reviews that mainly emphasize the phytochemical composition or antibacterial activities of individual TCM compounds, this work bridges the interaction concepts of host defense regulation, pathogen suppression, and TCM active ingredients, providing a novel and holistic perspective that links traditional pharmacological principles with modern immunological and microbiological understanding. These insights highlight TCM's potential as a complementary or alternative strategy to address AR through dual mechanisms: host defense regulation and pathogen suppression.