¹Xizang Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University,College of Animal Science, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, CHINA
²Zhongba County Agriculture,Animal Husbandry Integrated Service Center, Zhongba,Xizang Autonomous Region, CHINA DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2026.37510 Intestinal inflammation, underpinned by gut dysbiosis, epithelial barrier dysfunction and dysregulated TLR4/NF-κB-mediated innate immunity, represents a major constraint on livestock production efficiency and animal welfare. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines (TCHMs) possess multi-component, multi-target anti-inflammatory profiles and favourable safety margins; however, their therapeutic efficacy is limited by poor oral bioavailability, extensive first-pass metabolism and substantial pharmacokinetic variability. Microbial fermentation can remodel herbal constituents through polysaccharide depolymerisation, flavonoid glycoside hydrolysis, phenolic acid liberation and alkaloid/tannin modification, potentially yielding metabolites with improved bioaccessibility and intestinal anti-inflammatory activity. This narrative review synthesises current evidence on fermentation-mediated phytochemical transformation of Chinese medicinal herbs and the intestinal health effects of the resulting preparations in production animals. Fermentation microorganisms, metabolic profiles and condition-dependent phytochemical transformations are critically examined and integrated with tissue-level protective mechanisms encompassing gut microbiota remodelling, short-chain fatty acid metabolism, epithelial tight-junction reinforcement, suppression of aberrant TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling and pathological NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as well as Nrf2-dependent antioxidant defence. Evidence obtained directly from fermented herbal preparations in production animals is explicitly delineated from that extrapolated from general probiotic or short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) literature. Importantly, much of the mechanistic evidence remains preclinical, and few studies have validated efficacy, optimal dosing or safety under commercial production conditions. Finally, a "strain-ingredient-metabolite-microbiota-host" mechanistic framework is proposed to guide the standardisation of fermentation protocols, quality control and the veterinary application of fermented TCHMs. Keywords : Antioxidant defence, Chinese medicinal herbs, Gut microbiota, Microbial fermentation, Short-chain fatty acid