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Hypoglycemic Effect of an Herbal Decoction (Modified Gangsimtang) in a Patient with Severe Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Refusing Oral Anti-Diabetic Medication: A Case Report

Authors :
Sungjun Joo
Hyonjun Chun
Jisu Lee
Seungmin Seo
Jungmin Lee
Jungtae Leem
Source :
Medicina, Vol 59, Iss 11, p 1919 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

There is growing interest in alternative therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because some patients refuse to receive conventional therapies. In East Asia, herbal medicines are often used to treat T2DM, and modified Gangsimtang (mGST) is prescribed to treat a condition called wasting thirst (消渴), which resembles T2DM. This study reported the treatment of hyperglycemia using herbal medicines without oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin therapy. Case presentation: A 36-year-old man with obesity was diagnosed with T2DM four years prior to hospitalization and experienced blood glucose level reduction from 22.2–27.8 mmol/L (400–500 mg/dL) to 5.6–11.1 mmol/L (100–200 mg/dL) by using herbal medicines. He visited D Korean Medicine Hospital with chronic polydipsia and general weakness as chief complaints. He was diagnosed with T2DM on the basis of a hemoglobin A1c level of 11.7% and 2 h postprandial blood glucose level of >25.0 mmol/L (450 mg/dL). Moreover, he was diagnosed with a “dual deficiency of qi and yin” (氣陰兩虛) because of ordinary symptoms (素證). During his 30-day inpatient treatment, the patient received mGST 120 mL thrice daily; as a result, his postprandial blood glucose level decreased from 25.3 mmol/L (455 mg/dL) to 8.6 mmol/L (154 mg/dL), polydipsia decreased (visual analog scale score decreased from six to one), and triglyceride levels decreased from 11.7 mmol/L (1031 mg/dL) to 2.0 mmol/L (174 mg/dL). Plasma glucose levels remained stable for 6 months after the treatment, and no adverse events were observed over 200 days. We administered an herbal decoction to decrease plasma glucose levels without using oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin. Conclusions: Herbal decoctions such as mGST can reduce hyperglycemia in patients with T2DM who refuse conventional therapy.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16489144 and 1010660X
Volume :
59
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Medicina
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.27883ad4064e68a1ecdf5d1ebf1691
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59111919