Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. May 27, 2026; 18(5): 116488
Published online May 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i5.116488
Published online May 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i5.116488
Effect of Chinese herbal medicine enema on postoperative gastrointestinal function in gastric cancer patients: A meta-analysis
Xiao-Xuan Xie, Wei Yang, Department of Proctology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Ze-Hui Wang, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Song-Lin Zhang, Department of Proctology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Author contributions: Xie XX and Yang W designed the research study; Xie XX and Wang ZH performed the literature search and data extraction; Xie XX and Zhang SL conducted quality assessment of included studies; Xie XX performed the statistical analysis and wrote the manuscript; Yang W supervised the study and is the guarantor of this work. All authors contributed to data interpretation and manuscript revision, and have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Wei Yang, Department of Proctology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 528 Zhangheng Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai 201203, China. yangweiyisheng@126.com
Received: November 28, 2025
Revised: January 8, 2026
Accepted: February 14, 2026
Published online: May 27, 2026
Processing time: 180 Days and 4.1 Hours
Revised: January 8, 2026
Accepted: February 14, 2026
Published online: May 27, 2026
Processing time: 180 Days and 4.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This meta-analysis systematically evaluated the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine enema in enhancing postoperative gastrointestinal recovery among gastric cancer patients. Six randomized controlled trials involving 843 patients were analyzed. Chinese herbal medicine enema significantly shortened time to first flatus, defecation, and bowel sound recovery, and improved intestinal flora balance without increasing postoperative complications. These findings highlight that Chinese herbal medicine enema is a safe, effective, and integrative approach to promote gastrointestinal function recovery following gastrectomy.