Preprint / Version 1

Chinese Herbal Medicines in the Treatment of IBD and Colorectal Cancer: A Review

Authors

  • Maciej MSc Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland
  • Hubert Zatorski Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland
  • Marta MSc Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland
  • Chunqiu PhD People’s Hospital of Shanghai, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
  • Jakub PhD Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland

Keywords:

Traditional Chinese medicine, Herbal medicine, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Colorectal cancer

Abstract

Opinion statement Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, mainly represented by Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Although the etiology of IBD is not fully understood, there is substantial evidence that immunologic, genetic, and environmental factors are the main contributors in IBD pathogenesis. Conventional therapies for IBD include anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, such as 5-aminosalicylic acid, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and biologicals, such as anti-TNFα antibodies. However, because of low efficacy and high risk of side effects, there is a clear need for the development of novel and efficient pharmacologic strategies in IBD treatment. Among various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches, which are used for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most developed and diversified. TCM encompasses methods and therapies that emerged over centuries and is based mostly on ethnic wisdom and observations transmitted from generation to generation. In the recent years, the efficacy of TCM as treatment of IBD has been extensively characterized in preclinical and clinical studies, which resulted in a significant number of research reports. Moreover, the popularity of TCM among patients with IBD has rapidly increased not only in Asia, but also in the Western hemisphere. Keywords: Traditional Chinese medicine, Herbal medicine, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Colorectal cancer

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