A method of treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises collecting regulatory T cells in an activated or non-activated state from a patient's sentinel lymph nodes draining bowel segments with or without IBD, optionally activating the cells by contacting them with a cytokine and an antigen extract obtained from an inflamed bowel segment, expanding the T cells in vitro, and re-infusing the expanded T cell to the patient. Also disclosed are methods for obtaining sentinel nodes, for expanding T cells, for re-establishing the TH1/TH2 balance in the patient suffering from Crohn's disease, and corresponding uses of the expanded T cells, the cytokine and of antigen extract, as well as of correspondingly activated and expanded T cells.