REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Gut Microbiota and Spleen-Strengthening and Dampness-Dispelling Therapies in Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Key Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- 2The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
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Obesity, characterized by excessive body fat and systemic low-level inflammation, is closely linked to energy imbalance and gut dysbiosis. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) attributes obesity to spleen deficiency and dampness excess, advocating "strengthening the spleen and expelling dampness" as the core treatment strategy. Studies have shown that TCM formulas, botanical drugs, and their active metabolites can significantly enhance the balance of the gut microbiota, correcting lipid and glucose metabolism disorders, and effectively reducing chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. This study summarizes and concludes relevant research, systematically elaborating on the relationships among TCM formulas, botanical drugs, their metabolites for strengthening the spleen and dispelling dampness, and the gut microbiota. Try to elucidate their effects on obesity by regulating the gut microbiota.
Keywords: energy metabolism5, gut microbiota1, obesity3, Potential mechanism4, Strengthening the spleen and dispelling dampness6, Traditional Chinese medicine2
Received: 03 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Peng, Jiang, Tan and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhoujin Tan
Ping Jiang
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