The Role of the Liver in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: TCM Pathogenesis and Treatment

This article discusses the pathogenesis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) supported by information from modern biomedicine. The article is divided into three interrelated parts. Part One focuses on the aetiology of IBD from a TCM perspective, while Part Two discusses the characteristics of the disease according to its primary pathogenesis, Liver qi stagnation. Relevant scientific literature is presented, which reveals that although TCM and biomedicine look at IBD from different angles, their perspectives are related and mutually corroborative. It is gratifying to note that clinical manifestations that are difficult to explain from a biomedical perspective, such as skin, eye and joint problems, can be understood and treated using TCM theory. Part three provides a clinical guide to the primary TCM diagnostic patterns, herbal formulas, acupuncture points and lifestyle advice that practitioners can use to bring the disease into remission.