Gastrointestinal motility dysfunction is not only a pathogenic factor but also a pathological manifestation. The authors summarize the recent studies on the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in regulating gastrointestinal motility and analyze the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on the brain-vagus-enteric nervous system

interstitial cells of Cajal

gastrointestinal peptides

gastrointestinal smooth muscle

and signaling pathways. The authors also put forward some suggestions for future research

including the research centering on gastrointestinal motility to explore the role of acupuncture and moxibustion in regulating gastrointestinal motility for disease prevention and treatment

specificity of acupoints

and dual-directional regulation of acupuncture and moxibustion

and the research focusing on intestinal microflora and influential factors for excitability of enteric neurons to explore the potential mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in regulating gastrointestinal motility

in order to provide a reference for future research.