OBJECTIVE: To review the literature from 1954-2005 on acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of digestive system diseases and objectively reflect the acupuncture-moxibustion spectrum of digestive system diseases by literature metrology and assessment, so as to better exert the advantages of acupuncture-moxibustion medicine. METHODS: A statistical analysis was made by the method of metrological analysis according to the data from "China modern acupuncture-moxibustion information databank". RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The acupuncture-moxibustion spectrum of digestive system diseases of 91 kinds include 11 kinds of medical records; the effective diseases of acupuncture and moxibustion include hiccup, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, hemorrhoids. The determination of the disease spectrum of acupuncture and moxibustion needs further study.