Fructus Jujubae cooperated with water-expelling members in Shizao decoction alleviated intestinal injury and malignant ascites by modulating gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis

Shizao decoction (SZD) consisted of Euphorbia kansui (EK), Euphorbia pekinensis (EP), Daphne genkwa (DG), and Fructus Jujubae (FJ) is a classic Chinese herbal medicine formula for treating malignant ascites, which is closely related to the modulation of gut microbiota by our previous study. For water-expelling members (WEM) including EK, EP, and DG may have side effects on the intestine, FJ is employed for detoxification and effectivity enhancement of WEM. However, the underlying mechanism for the compatibility of WEM and FJ is still unknown.