Xiaoke tea, a Chinese herbal treatment for diabetes mellitus.
Hale PJ, Horrocks PM, Wright AD, Fitzgerald MG, Nattrass M, Bailey CJ.
Diabetic Clinic, General Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Xiaoke tea, a traditional Chinese treatment for diabetes mellitus, lowered blood glucose concentrations in streptozotocin diabetic mice. To investigate Xiaoke clinically, a double-blind crossover study was undertaken in 12 non-insulin-treated diabetic patients. Xiaoke tea and ordinary tea (infusion of 2.72 g, 4 times daily) were consumed in random order for 4 weeks. A standard breakfast meal was taken before and after each treatment period. Xiaoke did not significantly affect glycosylated haemoglobin, basal or post-breakfast serum glucose and insulin concentrations, intermediary metabolite concentrations, triglyceride and cholesterol. No adverse side-effects of Xiaoke were evident. Xiaoke, a traditional Chinese treatment for diabetes. Studies in streptozotocin diabetic mice and spontaneously diabetic BB/E rats.
Bailey CJ, Brown D, Smith W, Bone AJ.
Xiaoke tea is consumed as a traditional herbal treatment for diabetes mellitus in China. An aqueous extract of Xiaoke (1 g of dried plant preparation in 64 ml of water), supplied ad lib in place of drinking water during the induction and development of streptozotocin diabetes in mice, reduced (about 30%) plasma glucose concentrations by 25 days. The polydipsia and hyperphagia of the streptozotocin diabetic mice were also reduced by Xiaoke, and the effects lapsed after treatment was withdrawn. Xiaoke did not significantly alter plasma insulin concentrations. Consumption of the Xiaoke extract by insulin-treated diabetic BB/E Wistar rats did not affect glycaemic control or body wt. When insulin treatment was reduced and discontinued, Xiaoke failed to prevent the progression of severe hyperglycaemia and weight loss. The results suggest that the slowly generated antihyperglycaemic effect of Xiaoke in streptozotocin diabetic mice may involve an extrapancreatic effect on food intake, glucose production or glucose clearance. However, as evidenced in BB/E rats, Xiaoke does not substitute for insulin in the absence of endogenous insulin secretion.

Effect of combined therapy of xiaoke shen'an capsule and western medicine in diabetic nephropathy.
Piao CL, Nan HM, Jiang Z, Nan Z.
Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Affiliated to Changchun College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun
OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of xiaoke shen' an capsule on diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: Ninety patients with diabetic nephropathy were randomly divided into two groups, the patients in the control group (CG) were treated with conventional western medicine, and those in the treated group (TG) were treated with combined therapy of xiaoke shen'an capsule and conventional western medicine. The treatment course of both groups was 8 weeks, and the therapeutic effect related indexes were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: The curative rate was 85.0% and 73.3% in CG and TG respectively, it was better in TG than that in CG (P < 0.05). Indexes such as fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, quantity of 24h urinary protein, urinary albumin excretion rate, renal function, blood lipids and hemoreheologic parameters were significantly different before and after treatment in TG (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). As compared with CG, some of these indexes after treatment were superior to those in CG (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined therapy of xiaoke shen'an capsule and conventional western medicine has definite therapeutic effect on diabetic nephropathy.

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