ABSTRACT
Inflammatory bowel disease （IBD）， consisting of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease， is a chronic relapsing inflammatory gastrointestinal disease closely associated with immune dysfunction. The pathogenesis of IBD is closely related to genetic susceptibility， immune system dysfunction， environmental change， and intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Modern research has found that macrophage polarization plays an important role in the development of IBD and can affect the level of inflammatory response， intestinal mucosal repair， and intestinal microbial balance， making it a potential target for IBD treatment. Increasing evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine and its active components can regulate macrophage polarization through multiple pathways and balance the M1/M2 macrophage ratio， thus inhibiting inflammatory response， promoting intestinal mucosal repair， and slowing down the progression of IBD. This article summarized the biological processes and targets involved in macrophage polarization and discussed its impact on IBD. It also provided a brief overview of the latest research on how traditional Chinese medicine and its active components can improve IBD by regulating macrophage polarization， so as to provide new directions and strategies for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in IBD treatment.