| Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common fatal complication of severe liver disease, and oxidative stress plays a key role in its pathogenesis. The Blood Turbidity Theory is an innovative theory proposed by Professor Wang Xinlu, a master of traditional Chinese medicine. This article identifies a high degree of consistency between the Blood Turbidity Theory and oxidative stress in terms of pathological essence, pathogenic process, and clinical characteristics, and proposes that the “Blood Turbidity-Oxidative Stress” axis serves as a key bridge for understanding the pathogenesis of HE. This article considers that deficiency of the spleen and kidney with endogenous production of turbid pathogens is the pathological basis of HE, while accumulation and binding of blood turbidity generating turbid toxins that disturb the clear orifices upward constitutes its core pathogenesis. Treatment should take “clearing and resolving blood turbidity” as the general principle throughout the entire course of the disease, with flexible application of methods such as strengthening the spleen and resolving turbidity, unblocking the bowels to drain turbidity, and detoxifying and opening the orifices according to the disease stage. This article provides a new theoretical basis and clinical approach for the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine prevention and treatment of HE. |