The degree of renal interstitial fibrosis is closely related to the deterioration of renal function and the prognosis of chronic kidney disease. Renal fibrosis is a major pathophysiological change in almost all kinds of renal diseases developing to the end-stage renal failure. The formation causes of renal fibrosis include kidney trauma

infection

immune response

and damage of natural cells. The therapies of western medicine include bailing capsule

huangkui capsule

statins

angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin Ⅱ receptor antagonist (ARB)

gene therapy

cell factor and targeted drug therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) believes that renal fibrosis is a process of decline in upright force

growth of evil trends

long-term struggle between evil trends and upright force

efficiency of evil trends and deficiency of upright force. Regarding asthenia in origin and sthenia in superficiality

sthenia in superficiality means deficiency of vital energy

and asthenia in origin means blood stasis. TCM treats renal fibrosis mainly by activating blood stasis and dissolving stasis

clearing heat and detoxicating

and invigorating spleen and kidney

which is a multi-link

multi-location and multi-target intervention therapy. The early stage of renal fibrosis features the spleen and kidney Qi deficiency and the deficiency of Qi and Yin; Codonopsis pilosula

Rehmannia

Chinese wolfberry and yam are mainly used to tonify Qi and nourish Yin

replenish spleen and tonify kidney. The advanced kidney disease features blood stasis and pathogenic toxin block meridian. Paeoniae Alba Radix

Angelicae Sinensis Radix

Persicae Semen

and Achyranthis Radix are mainly adopted for activating blood and dissolving stasis

clearing heat and detoxicating by Paeoniae Paeoniae Radix

peony skin

Smilax Glabra

and Rehmannia; at the same time

Ligustrum

Eclipta Alba

Radix Codonopsis

Astragali Radix are added to invigorate the kidney and spleen. This paper discusses the mechanism of renal fibrosis from the perspective of modern medicine and TCM

as well as experimental studies on improving renal fibrosis

delaying kidney failure with traditional Chinese and western medicine. It provides a sufficient theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of renal fibrosis.