The gut-lung axis is an important pathway connecting the respiratory system and the digestive system, playing a key role in maintaining immune homeostasis, regulating inflammatory responses, and protecting the mucosal barrier. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory that “the lung and the large intestine are exterior-interior related” is highly consistent with the modern concept of gut-lung axis, providing a scientific basis for “lung and intestine co-treatment”. Studies have shown that the imbalance of the intestinal flora and the damage of the barrier function can affect the inflammatory immune response in lungs through inflammatory mediators and metabolites, aggravating the occurrence and development of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis. TCM can improve the stability of gut-lung axis as a whole by regulating the intestinal flora and metabolic products (such as short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan metabolites), and repairing the mucosal barrier, thereby reducing the inflammatory response and tissue damage in lungs. Therefore, based on gut-lung axis, this paper mainly expounds the research progress of the main therapeutic effect relief links of traditional Chinese medicine throug regulating intestinal flora, flora metabolites and mucosal immunity, protecting lung-intestine barrier and preventing and treating lung diseases, providing a new idea for in-depth explanation of mechanism of “regulating the lung through the intestine” and the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases by TCM.

gut-lung axis  /  gut-lung barrier  /  traditional Chinese medicine  /  pulmonary diseases  /  gut microbiota