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The Treatment of 50 Cases of Diabetic Nephropathy with Jiang Tang Yu Shen Tang abstracted & translated by
Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, diabetic nephropathy, Jiang Tang Yu Shen Tang Duan Yu-huai et al. published an article titled, “The Treatment of 50 Cases of Diabetic Nephropathy with Jiang Tang Yu Shen Tang (Lower Sugar & Cure the Kidneys Decoction),” in Zhe Jiang Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Zhejiang Journal of Chinese Medicine), #12, 2001, on page 511. Cohort description: There were 98 patients in total in this study who were divided into two groups. In the treatment group, there were 29 men and 21 women aged 48-72 years, with an average age of 61.5 years. Forty-four of these cases had a disease duration of one half to two years, and the other six had been ill with nephropathy for more than two years. Twelve of these cases had simple albuminuria, 28 had accompanying lower extremity edema, seven had nephrotic syndrome, and three had azotemia. In terms of disease severity and treatment, both groups were basically the same. Treatment method: The treatment group received the following Chinese medicinals: Radix Polygoini Multiflori (He Shou Wu), Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae (Shan Yao), Herba Ecliptae Prostratae (Han Lian Cao), Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (Nu Zhen Zi), and Semen Euryalis Ferocis (Qian Shi), 30g each, Fructus Corni Officinalis (Shan Zhu Yu), 12g, Cordyceps Sinensis (Dong Chong Xia Cao), 6g, Hirudo Seu Whitmania (Shui Zhi), 10g, Radix Rubrus Paeoniae Lactiflorae (Chi Shao), 20g, and Radix Glycyrrhizae (Gan Cao), 5g. If there was simultaneous spleen-kidney yang vacuity, eight grams of Radix Lateralis Praeparatus Aconiti Carmichaeli (Fu Zi) and three grams of Cortex Cinnamomi Cassiae (Rou Gui) were added. If there was lower extremity edema, 30 grams of Rhizoma Imperatae Cylindricae (Bai Mao Gen) were added. One ji was administered per day. The comparison group received 25mg of captopril TID plus 10-20mg of nifedipine TID. Both groups also received orally administered gliclazide. In addition, both groups were treated for 1-3 months. If albuminuria disappeared, one month of further treatment was given in order to consolidate the treatment effects. Treatment outcomes: Cure was defined as disappearance of the symptoms and albuminuria of less than 0.1g per day for three months or more, fasting blood glucose returning to normal, and 24 hour urine glucose less than 5g. Marked effect was defined as disappearance of symptoms, albuminuria less than 0.1g per day for three months or more, and FBG and 24 hour urine glucose reduced by 50% or more. Improvement meant that the symptoms partially disappeared, albuminuria was reduced, urine glucose was less than 3g per day, and FBG and 24 hour urine glucose was 30% or more less than before. No effect meant that none of these criteria were met. Based on these criteria, in the treatment group, 24 cases were considered cured, 16 got a marked effect, five improved, and five got no effect, for a total amelioration rate of 90%. In the comparison group, six patients were cured, eight got a marked effect, 15 improved, and 19 got no effect, for a total amelioration rate of 60.4%. Hence there was a marked statistical difference in effects between these two groups (P + 0.01). On follow-up after one year, of 39 patients in treatment group, three cases had relapsed (7.65). In the comparison group, eight of 14 patients had relapsed (57.1%). Therefore, the Chinese medical treatment was more effective than the Western medical protocol in terms of immediate treatment efficacy and long-term effect. Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2002. All rights reserved. For more information on the Chinese medical treatment of diabetes and its complications, see Bob Flaws, Lynn Kuchinski & Robert Casañas’s The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus with Chinese Medicine available from Blue Poppy Press. |
