ABSTRACT
Gegen Qinliantang composed of Puerariae Lobatae Radix， Scutellariae Radix， Coptidis Rhizoma， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma exhibits exterior-releasing and interior-clearing effects and can treat diarrhea caused by fever invasion. Therefore， it is highly praised by physicians for treating damp-heat dysentery. This article systematically reviews the clinical applications and basic research advances of Gegen Qinliantang in treating ulcerative colitis. Modern clinical research has demonstrated that modified Gegen Qinliantang has also been used to treat ulcerative colitis， and it is often used in combination with Western drugs （mesalazine， olsalazine， sulfasalazine， etc.）， other Chinese medicine prescriptions （Tongxie Yaofang， Baitouweng Tang， Shaoyaotang， Xianglianwan， etc.）， and acupuncture. Such therapties can significantly alleviate symptoms， such as abdominal pain， diarrhea， and mucopurulent bloody stools， lower traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores and Baron score， improve the quality of life and sleep， reduce adverse reactions， and decrease the relapse rate within one year. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Gegen Qinliantang can inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines， such as tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and enhance the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 （IL-10） to alleviate intestinal inflammation. Additionally， it can modulate cellular signaling pathways and interfere with upstream and downstream connections in the pathways to inhibit oxidative stress response and prevent cell apoptosis. By regulating the balance of T-helper 17 （Th17） and regulatory T （Treg） cells and controlling the normal expression of immunoglobulins， Gegen Qinliantang can restore immune function. Moreover， this prescription can enrich the beneficial microorganisms in the intestine and stimulate intestinal epithelial cell regeneration to protect and repair the intestinal mucosal barrier. The active components in Gegen Qinliantang， such as puerarin， berberine， baicalin， and glycyrrhizin， can exert antibacterial， anti-inflammatory， and metabolic regulatory effects. This review provides a basis for treating ulcerative colitis with Gegen Qinliantang.