Table 1.
Relationship between TCM herbal ingredients, gut microbiota composition, metabolites produced and targeted diseases. ND, not clearly defined.
| TCM herbal ingredients | Microbiota affected | Metabolites produced | Target diseases | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main component: Decoction or Tang | ||||
| Daesi ho Tang (DSHT) | Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio | ND | Obesity | (Hussain et al., 2016) |
| Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD) | Faecalibacterium prausnitzii | ND | Type 2 diabetes | (Xu et al., 2015) |
| Qushi Huayu Decocti (QHD) |
Generally affects gut microbiota composition. Does not affect identified Gram-negative bacteria. |
ND | NAFLD | (Leng et al., 2020) |
| Xiexin Tang (XXT) | Adlercreutzia, Alloprevotella, Barnesiella, Ventriosum group, Blautia, Lachnospiraceae UCG-001, Papillibacter, Prevotellaceae NK3B31 group | SCFAs | Type 2 diabetes | (Wei et al., 2018) |
| Metformin and a specifically designed herbal formula, AMC | Blautia spp., Faecalibacterium spp. | ND | Type 2 diabetes | (Tong et al., 2018) |
| Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction (HLJDD) | Parabacteroides, Blautia, Akkermansia, Aerococcus, Staphylococcus-Corynebacterium | SCFAs | Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance | (Chen et al., 2018b) |
| Qijian mixture | Mainly Bacteroidetes |
55 proteins and related metabolism of galactose, valine, leucine, isoleucine, alanine, aspartate and glutamate. Biosynthesis of aminoacyl-tRNA. |
Type 2 diabetes | (Gao et al., 2018) |
| Main component: TCM polysaccharide | ||||
| G. lucidum | Parabacteroides, Roseburia, Eubacterium, Clostridium | ND | Obesity, NAFLD, diabetes mellitus | (Chang et al., 2015) |
| H. sinensis mycelium | P. goldsteinii | ND | Obesity, NAFLD, diabetes mellitus | (Wu et al., 2019) |
| Mulberry fruit | Bacteroidales, Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Bacteroides, Akkermansia | ND | Obesity | (Chen et al., 2018a) |
| Ganoderma atrum | ND | SCFAs | Intestinal mucosal dysfunction, type 2 diabetes | (Zhu et al., 2016) (Ying et al., 2020) |
| Stigma maydis | Lactobacillus, Bacteroides | (Wang et al., 2016) | ||
| TCM herbal ingredients | Microbiota affected | Metabolites produced | Target diseases | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main component: Proteins/amino acids | ||||
| A variety of different herbs | Multiple phyla in microbiota bacteria |
-ammonia -amines -gases (methane, hydrogen gas, H2S) -catecholamines and phenols (p-cresol, p-nitrosophenol, p-diazoquinone, indoxyl sulfate, hippuric acid, phenyl sulfate, pyrocatechol sulfate, 4-ethylphenyl sulfate, p-cresol glucuronide, and equol 7-glucuronide) -neuro-active metabolites, such as serotonin, melatonin, kynurenine, quinolinate, indole, IAA, IPA, and tryptamine |
Chronic inflammation related diseases | (Baumann and Bisping, 1995; Magee et al., 2000; Blachier et al., 2007; Neis et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2016; Mazzoli and Pessione, 2016; Portune et al., 2016; Velenosi et al., 2016; Lin et al., 2017; Ma et al., 2017; Kaur et al., 2019) |
| Main component: Lipids/fatty acids | ||||
| A variety of different herbs | Multiple phyla in microbiota bacteria |
-conjugated essential fatty acids (conjugated linoleic acid) -trimethyl amine (TMA) |
Chronic inflammation related diseases | (Devillard et al., 2007; Marques et al., 2015; Rath et al., 2017; Janeiro et al., 2018; Schoeler and Caesar, 2019; Yu et al., 2019b) |
| Main component: Chemicals and related | ||||
| A variety of different herbs | Multiple phyla in microbiota bacteria |
-secondary glycosides and/or aglycones -CPT-11 related SN-38-glucuronide -secondary bile acids |
Chronic inflammation related diseases | (Dabek et al., 2008; Yang et al., 2011; Yan et al., 2013; Chen et al., 2015; Wahlstrom et al., 2016; Ramirez-Perez et al., 2017; Jia et al., 2018) |
| Ginsenosides in Du-Shen-Tang (DST) | Enhance the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Bacteroides spp. | ND | Fatigue, acute cold stress | (Zhou et al., 2016) |
| Banxia Xiexin decoction (BXD) | ND | Baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside-wogonin, scutellarin, berberine, coptisine, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Re | Diabetic gastroparesis | (Xu et al., 2018) |
| Metformin and Houttuynia cordata extract (HCE) | Roseburia, Akkermansia, Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli, Bacteriodetes fragilis. | ND | Insulin resistance and metabolic syndromes | (Wang et al., 2017b; Wang et al., 2018a) |
| Berberine derived from Coptis chinensis | Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli | ND | Glucolipid metabolism and insulin resistance in diabetic mice | (Han et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2018b) |
| Rhein | Bacteroidetes | ND | Antidiabetic effects | (Wang et al., 2018b) |