ABSTRACT
Ulcerative colitis （UC）， a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the colorectum with high morbidity and prevalence， has become a global burden. However， the causes and pathogenesis are still unclear. Available studies have verified that the imbalance of intestinal microenvironment is crucial in the occurrence and development of UC. Intestinal microenvironment is mainly composed of intestinal microbiota and intestinal mucosal cells， which are involved in the physiological and pathological activities of the body through the intestinal microbial barrier， chemical barrier， mechanical barrier， and immune barrier. Thus， probiotic agents， 5-aminosalicylic acid preparations， corticosteroids， immunosuppressants， biological preparations and other drugs are commonly used in western medicine for the treatment of UC， which， however， have limitations. Therefore， it is the key task for the prevention and treatment of UC to find new therapies. In recent years， it has been found that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of UC. Chinese medicine compounds and Chinese medicine monomers can regulate the intestinal microenvironment through multiple pathways and targets， thereby intervening the occurrence and development of UC. It has gradually become a hot spot in the prevention and treatment of UC and attracted extensive attention. Therefore， this study first discussed the correlation between intestinal microenvironment imbalance and UC and then summarized the mechanisms of TCM against UC from the aspects of regulating intestinal flora， improving chemical barrier， protecting mechanical barrier， and inhibiting immune inflammatory response， in order to provide new ideas for the research on TCM in the treatment of UC.