1. Introduction
Asari Herba, Rhizoma Corydalis
DISEASE, GROUP B
Acupoint application has served as an important complementary and adjunctive therapy in China. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of summer acupoint application treatment (SAAT) on the abundance and biological structure of gut microbiota in healthy Asian adults. Based on the CONSORT guidelines, 72 healthy adults were included in this study, randomly divided into 2 groups, receiving either traditional (acupoint application within known relevant meridians, Group A) or sham (treated with placebo prepared by mixing the equal amount of starch and water, Group B) SAAT. SAAT stickers include extracts from Rhizoma Corydalis, Sinapis alba, Euphorbia kansui, Asari Herba, and the treatment group received 3 sessions of SAAT for 24 months, administered to BL13 (Feishu), BL17 (Geshu), BL20 (Pishu), and BL23 (Shenshu) acupoints. Fecal microbial analyses via ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequencing were performed on donor stool samples before and after 2 years of SAAT or placebo treatment to analyze the abundances, diversity, and structure of gut microbiota. No significant baseline differences were present between groups. At the phylum level, the baseline relative abundance of Acupoint application has served as an important complementary and adjunctive therapy in East Asia, and gains wide attention worldwide recently, which has been widely applied in 183 countries according to a 2013 survey.At present, the AAT approach as a route of administration is commonly applied in Asian countries, specifically China and Korea.The gut microorganisms play crucial roles in human health and the imbalance of the gut microbiome is involved in the development of disease. The development of culture-independent, high-throughput sequencing technology of microbial metagenomes has enabled the identification of previously unknown members of the microbiota, thereby providing a powerful new perspective for the composition and function of fecal microorganisms.