Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, causing serious economic and medical burdens. Currently, Chinese medicine (CM) has become an important means in treating NAFLD in China. Intestinal microecology (IM) is an important part of the internal environment in the human body and is involved in the occurrence and development of NAFLD. In this paper, the authors systematically discuss the significance of IM in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the current status of research on the CM treatment of NAFLD via IM regulation. In combination with our own research practice, we propose that IM is an important target for the treatment of NAFLD with CM and formulate plans for future research to target limitations existing in current studies.
Keywords: Chinese medicine; intestinal microecology; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.