Coptidis Rhizoma Processed with Evodia Rutaecarpa Improves the Effect on Ulcerative Colitis by Increasing Intestinal Energy Metabolites Alpha-Ketoglutarate and Lactobacillus Reuteri.

•The improved effects of Evodia Rutaecarpa processed Coptidis Rhizoma (ECR) on ulcerative colitis (UC) mice are transmissible through an α-ketoglutarate–Lactobacillus reuteri–epithelial regeneration axis.•ECR processing improves the effect on UC mainly by increasing the L. reuteri level, which promotes intestinal epithelial regeneration by up-regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.•ECR processing increases the level of energy metabolite α-ketoglutarate in the colon, which is the key medium to stimulate L. reuteri growth in UC mice.