Table 1.
Clinical trials of Chinese herbal medicines or herbal natural compounds in improving diabetes and its complications.
| Study | Herbs or herbal compounds | participants | Intervention time | clinical trial | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riche, Daniel M et al. [70] | Mulberry leaf extract (MLE) | T2DM （n = 24） |
3 months. | Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled | Reduce postprandial blood glucose |
| Leyva-Soto, Aldo et al. [71] | The mixture of epicatechin and quercetin (1:1) | Patients with metabolic syndrome （n = 156） |
3 months | A randomized placebo-controlled study | Reduce glucose and improve biochemical parameters related to metabolic syndrome. |
| Kianbakht, Saeed et al. [72] | plant extract(containsflavonoid，phenolic and quercetin) | Hypercholesterolemic type 2 diabetic patients. (n = 50) | 2 months. | A randomized placebo-controlled study | The extract lowered FG, 2hPPG, HbA1c, TC, LDL-C, and triglyceride levels, but increased HDL-C levels compared to the placebo at the endpoint (P < 0.05). |
| Ren, P et al. [73] | Puerarin | DR （n = 15） |
6 weeks. | A randomized placebo-controlled study | Reduces blood viscosity, improves microcirculation, and plays a positive therapeutic role in diabetic retinopathy. |
| Nematollahi, Shima et al. [74] | Berberine combined with fenugreek | T2DM (n = 50) | 12 weeks. | A randomized controlled clinical trial | Improve cardio-metabolic status in patients with diabetes and support the anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory role of herbs in the improvement of quality of life. |
| Wang, Shujie [75] | Berberine combined with probiotics | T2DM (n = 365) | 12 weeks. | A random, placebo-controlled, and multicenter clinical trial | Significantly reduce postprandial hyperlipidemia and CVD risk in patients with diabetes. |
| Fatima, Safia et al. [76] | δ-tocotrienol and resveratrol mixture | Patients with metabolic syndrome (n = 41） | 24 weeks | A randomized placebo-controlled study | Reduce the waist circumference, blood pressure, and FPG. |
Partial abbreviation: T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus; DR: diabetic retinopathy; FG：fasting glucose; 2hPPG: 2-h post-prandial blood glucose; HbA1c: the hemoglobin A1c; TC: total cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CVD: cardiovascular disease.