Objective: To observe the clinical effects and side-effects of Tangniao1ing (a preparation of Chinese herbal hypoglycemic medicine) in treating diabetes mellitus type II.

Methods: The l50 cases of diabetes mellitus diagnosed according to the diagnostic standard of WHO were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=l00) and the control group (n=50). The two groups were similar in sex, age, the course of disease, average blood sugar level, clinical symptoms and type of TCM with insignificant difference statistically, and so was comparable.

Tangniaoling (mainly consists of Radix Astragalus, Radix Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Radix Pueraria, Radix Rehmaniae, Fructus Cornus, Radix Panax Notoginseng, Rhizoma Coptis, Radix Salvia Miltiorrhizae, etc., and was made in tablet form, every tablet containing 0.3g crude drug) was given 6-8 tablets, three times a day by oral intake.

The control group was treated by Diamicron 80mg, 2-3 times per day. The therapeutic course was 2 months. All the patients were under diet control and forbidden to take any other hypoglycemic agents.
　　
The criteria of observation were clinical symptoms, fasting and 2h after meal blood sugar blood lipids, hemorheology liver and kidney function, electrocardiogram and routine examination of peripheral blood.
　　
Result: According to the "Guidance on Principal of Clinical Study in Treatment of Xiao ke (diabetes mellitus)" (formulated by State Ministry of Health, 1993), the efficacy of treatment was classified into:

markedly effective: symptoms disappeared basically, fasting blood sugar <7.2mmol/L, blood sugar 2h after meal <8.3mmol/L, 24h urinary glucose quantitative test effective: symptoms improved obviously, fasting blood sugar <8.3mmol/L, blood sugar 2h after meal <10rnmol/L, 24h urinary glucose quantitative test <25g, or blood and urinary glucose lowered by over l0%;

ineffective: without obvious improvement of symptoms and changes in blood and urinary glucose didn't reach the above-mentioned standards.

In the treatment group, 76 cases were assayed as markedly effective, l7 as effective, 7 as ineffective, the total effective rate being 93%. In the control group, 37 cases were markedly effective, 8 effective, 5 ineffective, the total effective rate 90%

Tangniaoling showed markedly effect in improving clinical symptoms and hemorheologic parameters, lowering blood sugar serum cholesterol, triglyceride. No adverse reaction or toxic side effects were found in the treatment.
　　
Conclusion: Tangniaoling is an effective and safe preparation of Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type II.

By Dai Shunzhen, Wang Yamin, etc.