In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), diabetes is a disease characterized by poly- dipsia, polyphagia and polyuria which is caused by the dryness-heat and the deficiency of Yin in the lung, the stomach and the kidney and the dysfunction of the transportation of foodstuff. The main symptoms are thirsty, poydipsia, polyorexia, polyuria and emaciation. At present, good effect could be obtained with hypoglycemic agents which are usually used in western medicine. But the disease relapses easily, and the effectiveness is not stable and it is difficult to control the level of blood sugar.
In recent years, we applied pure traditional Chinese medicine preparation “Jiang Tang An"(self-formulated prescription) on the treatment of diabetes and obtained a satisfactory result. The results obtained from 52 cases in five years from 1992 to 1996 are shown as follows.

General Data

In the therapy group, there were 52 males and 20 females. Their age varied from 28 to 84 and the average is 48.32±l0.27. Two patients were younger than 30; 6 Patients were 31 years old; 15 patients were 41 year old; 20 patients were 51 years old; 7 patients were older than 61. 15 were office staffs; 17 were manual workers and 19 were farmer. One patient is diagnosed as insulin-dependent diabetes and 51 patients non-insulin-dependent diabetes. 7 cases are diagnosed by Chinese medicine as dryness-heat in the lung and stomach (upper diabetes), 13 cases are dryness-heat in the intestinal tract and the damage of body fluid (middle diabetes); and 32 cases are Yin deficiency in the liver and kidney (lower diabetes). The shortest course of disease is one month and the longest is 13 years, averaging 4.12±4.56 years.

Treating Methods

1. TCM criteria: it could be diagnosed if polydipsia, polyorexia, polyuria, sweet urine and emaciation exist. The diagnosis is classified according to "Applied TCM Internal Medicine" as upper diabetes (dryness-heat in the lung and stomach), middle-diabetes (dryness-heat in the intestinal tract and the damage of body fluid), and lower diabetes (Yin deficiency in the liver and kidney).
2.Western medicine criteria: use the “Provisional Standard of Diagnosis"set by WHO. (omitted)
3. Administration and course of treatment
Those who have taken insulin or other hypoglycemic agents should reduce the dosages in the past treatment after being treated with “Jiang Tang An" There is no need to control their diet strictly. Those who do not receive insulin or other hypoglycemic agents should take “Jiang Tang An"for three times per day and 6 pi1ls per time with 15 days constituting one course. 23 courses are needed under normal condition.
4. Criteria of therapeutic effectiveness:
Disease is controlled in clinic with most of the symptoms disappeared after treatment, improvement of the symptom integral is more than 90%; normal blood and urine sugar; or negative urine sugar. Significantly effective: fasting blood sugar <7.2 rnmol/L, blood sugar in 2 hours after meal <8.3 mmol/L. Urine sugar in 24hours < 10.0g or the levels of blood sugar and urine sugar in 24 hour decreased by 30% of those before treatment. Effective: fasting blood sugar <8.3 mmol/L, blood sugar in 2 hours after meal 10 mmol/L. Urine sugar in 24 hour < 25 .0g or the levels of blood sugar and urine sugar in 24 hours decreased by 10% of those before treatment. No effect: the levels of blood and urine sugar cannot reach the requirement show above with symptoms remaining unchanged.

Results:

1. Analysis of the results:
After treating with “Jiang Tang An"in 52 cases of diabetes, the number of cases controlled in clinic was 13 (25 %), the number of cases with significant effectiveness, 17 (9. 61 % ). The total effective rate was 90.39 % and the significant efficiency, 57.69 %. 
2. Analysis of symptoms and the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs are shown in table 1.

Table 1. Analysis of Symptom and the Therapeutic Effectiveness

*: P<0. 05 **: P<0. 01
It could be concluded that “Jiang Tang An"has an obvious effect of improving such symptoms as thirsty, polydipsia, polyuria, polyorexia and emaciation

3. The analysis of TCM syndromes and the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs is shown in table 2.

Table 2. Analysis of TCM Syndromes and the
 Therapeutic Effectiveness of Drugs

Diabetes

It would be concluded that “Jiang Tang An"has an obvious effect of improving each type of diabetes. The total therapeutic effectiveness was over 85. 72%.
　　
4. Experimental examination and the analysis of the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs are shown in table 3.
　　

Table 3. Experimental Examination and the
Analysis of the Therapeutic Effectiveness

*: P<0.05  ***:P<0.001
It could be concluded that “Jiang Tang An"had the effect of reducing blood sugar in fasting (P< 0. 05 ) and urine sugar (P< 0. 00l ). The effect of reducing the level of urine protein which was rather good should be verified by further observation for less cases in this experiment.

Discussion

Diabetes is a disease characterized by polydipsia, polyphagia and polyuria in TCM. The cause of this disease is usually related with improper diet, dryness-heat, over-consumption of body fluid, emotional stress, undermined Yin due to stagnated fire and the asthenia of Zang-Fu organs due to innate defect. The mechanism of this disease is that the deficiency of Yin is the fundamental and dryness-heat is the incidental. So the principle of the treatment should be clearing away heat, promoting the production of body fluid, supplementing Qi, and nourishing Yin. With the methods of supplementing Qi, nourishing Yin, promoting the production of body fluid to quench thirsty, removing heat, moistening dryness, nourishing the liver and kidney which is obtained by many years of clinical experience, satisfactory result can be obtained on the treatment of diabetes with pure traditional Chinese medicine preparation “Jiang Tang An"The treatment on 52 cases shows that “Jiang Tang An"can improve most symptoms such as thirsty, polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria and emaciation, control the level of fasting blood sugar, reduce the level of urine sugar obviously. The total therapeutic efficiency is 90.39 % or more, significant efficiency is 57.69 %. It has a satisfactory effect on diabetes diagnosed by TCM as dryness-heat in the lung and stomach (upper diabetes), dryness-heat in the intestinal tract and the over-consumption of body fluid (middle diabetes); and Yin deficiency in the liver and kidney (lower diabetes). The total therapeutic efficiency is 85.72% or more. There is no side effect in clinical application. It is convenient to use. So it is an effective method in the treatment of diabetes in traditional Chinese medicine.