Fecal Microbiota Transplantation:Traditional Chinese Medicine Meets Western Medicine

Abstract

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a therapy of transplanting the functional flora from the feces of a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient to reconstruct the normal flora.The application of FMT in western medicine dates from the 1950s.After decades of development,the efficacy of FMT has been proven in a variety of diseases.The record of FMT in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) dates early from the 3rd century A.D.,and relevant theories have been recorded in many TCM works in the past dynasties.FMT as a therapy that has been written into guidelines has been accepted by some countries and regions such as the United States and the United Kingdom in the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection,and its clinical indications are expanding.TCM and western medicine,with different medical thoughts,meet in the application of FMT.Exploring a normative and effective FMT procedure reflects not only the patient-centered principle but also the mutual promotion of TCM and western medicine.