Review of the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine in sepsis-associated encephalopathy

Ethnopharmacological relevance Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common and serious complication during the acute phase of and after recovery from sepsis that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in modern medicine for neurological anomalies and has become a therapeutic tool for the treatment of SAE due to its multitargeting effects and low toxicity and side effects. Aims of the study This review provides insights into the pathogenesis and treatments of SAE, focusing on the clinical and experimental impacts of TCM formulations and their single components. Methods Several known databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and others were extensively explored with keywords and phrases such as “sepsis-associated encephalopathy”, “traditional Chinese medicine”, “herbs”, “SAE”, “sepsis”, “cerebral” or other relevant terms to obtain literature between 2018 and 2024. Results Extensive evidence indicated that TCM could decrease mortality and normalize neurological function in patients with sepsis; these effects might be associated with factors such as reduced oxidative stress and downregulated expression of inflammatory factors. Conclusions TCM shows notable efficacy in treating SAE, warranting deeper mechanistic studies to optimize its clinical application.