Some people have never been exposed to Chinese medicine, and they will have doubts in their hearts. Can traditional Chinese medicine lower blood sugar? The answer is yes, there is no doubt that Chinese medicine lowers blood sugar. In fact, as early as more than two thousand years ago, there was a record of "quenching thirst" in the classic Huangdi Neijing. Through the long-term accumulation and continuous research of the ancestors of traditional Chinese medicine, they have rich experience in this disease.

Some people may say that western medicine can lower blood sugar quickly, but no Chinese medicine can deny this. The advantage of Chinese medicine lies in overall conditioning, paying attention to individual differences of patients, harmonizing human viscera, balancing yin and yang, eliminating diabetes symptoms such as fatigue, numbness of limbs, itchy skin and blurred vision, improving quality of life and prolonging life. Chinese and western medicine have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the combination of Chinese and western medicine is more conducive to improving the therapeutic effect.

I have a patient, Liu, who has been suffering from diabetes 10 years. He has been taking hypoglycemic drugs, and his blood sugar is under control. Two years ago, his blood sugar was unstable and gradually increased to16 mmol/L. At the same time, he found numbness, chills and needle-like pain in his limbs. Patients are unwilling to increase the dose and seek treatment from Chinese medicine. When I came to the clinic, I was emaciated, weak all over, emaciation, polydipsia, tinnitus, poor sleep, dull complexion, dark red tongue with ecchymosis and astringent pulse, which are typical symptoms of thirst. Syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine is that both qi and yin are injured, and blood stasis is the crux. The treatment should be invigorating qi and nourishing yin, promoting blood circulation and dredging collaterals. In the prescription, Buyang Huanwu Decoction, a famous doctor in Qing Dynasty, was added and subtracted, and Astragalus membranaceus was used to replenish vitality.

When the patient was taking Chinese medicine, I didn't stop him from taking western medicine, but gradually reduced it. After taking the medicine for two months, the blood sugar decreased to 1.2 mmol/L, which was relatively stable and all the symptoms were relieved. On the basis of the original prescription, the patient stopped taking western medicine and continued taking Chinese medicine for one month, which dropped to 8.1mmol/L. The patient slept steadily and had strength, and his tinnitus disappeared.

Some traditional Chinese medicines have made indelible contributions to the treatment of diabetes, such as Coptidis Rhizoma, Radix Astragali (combined with nourishing yin drugs such as Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Scrophulariae and Radix Ophiopogonis to treat diabetes), Polygonatum sibiricum, Radix Rehmanniae (including Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata plus Radix Asparagi and Fructus Lycii), Ginseng Radix, Radix Ophiopogonis and Euonymus Euonymus. Other drugs with hypoglycemic effect include Radix Puerariae, Fructus Corni, Poria, Rhizoma Polygonati Odorati, Folium Mori, Cortex Mori, Mulberry, Semen Cuscutae, Radix Scrophulariae, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, Herba et Gemma Agrimoniae, Cortex Lycii, pollen and Cortex Cinnamomi.

There are also two common medicinal materials, which are known to be good for the body, but may not know that they also have the function of lowering blood sugar, namely yam and medlar, because these two are more common. Chinese yam supplements the middle energizer, quenches thirst, strengthens the body and beautifies the face, and Chinese wolfberry benefits the eyesight and nourishes the liver and kidney, so it can be eaten frequently.