Objective To observe the clinical curative effects of Changwei Shu combined with conventional western medicine therapy in treating the sepsis patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction.Methods A total of 120 cases of sepsis patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,60 patients in each group.The control group was given conventional western medicine therapy,and the treatment group was given Changwei Shu combined with conventional western medicine therapy.After treatment for 7 days,the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated by observing the changes in white blood cell (WBC) count,procalcitonin (PCT) level,intra-abdominal pressure (IAP),gastrointestinal dysfunction scores,and scores of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE Ⅱ).Results (1) For one case dropped out and one was excluded from the treatment group,and 4 cases dropped out and 2 were excluded from the control group,a total of 58 cases in the treatment group and 54 in the control group were included into the study at the end of the trial.(2) The total effective rate of the treatment group was 91.38％ and that of the control group was 88.89％,the difference being significant (P ＜ 0.05).(3) After treatment,WBC count,PCT level and IAP of the two groups were improved (P ＜ 0.01 compared with those before treatment),and the improvement of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group (P ＜ 0.01).(4) After treatment,gastrointestinal dysfunction scores and APACHE Ⅱ scores of the two groups were decreased(P ＜ 0.01 compared with those before treatment),and the decrease of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group (P ＜ 0.01).(5) During the treatment,4 cases from the treatment group had nausea,and 5 cases from the control group had nausea and abdominal distention,and the symptoms disappeared spontaneously one week later.No obvious changes were found in the hepatic and renal function of the two groups.Conclusion Changwei Shu exerts an effect on reducing the inflammation,improving the gastrointestinal function,and relieving the illness severity of sepsis patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction.