Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Renal Function in Diabetic Kidney Disease

June 15, 2026 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Adjunctive Therapy on Renal Function in Patients With Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is a randomized controlled pilot trial designed to evaluate the effects and safety of a traditional Chinese medicine formula (DKD-1) as an add-on therapy to standard treatment in patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD). Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to receive either standard care alone or standard care combined with DKD-1 for 12 weeks. Kidney function, glycemic control, proteinuria, quality of life, and traditional Chinese medicine tongue features will be assessed before and after the intervention. The study aims to provide preliminary evidence on whether DKD-1 can improve renal function, glycemic control, and quality of life in this patient population.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a prospective, single-blind (data analyst-blinded), randomized controlled pilot trial evaluating a traditional Chinese medicine formula (DKD-1) as adjunctive therapy in patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease. DKD is a progressive condition with limited treatment options to slow renal deterioration and manage glycemic control. Traditional Chinese medicine is widely used as a complementary approach, but clinical evidence remains limited. After providing informed consent, eligible participants will be screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either standard therapy alone or standard therapy plus daily oral DKD-1 (14.5 g) for 12 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention assessments include estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), quality of life (KDQOL-SF™ 1.3), and TCM tongue diagnosis. Adverse events will be monitored throughout the study. This trial is designed to provide preliminary clinical evidence on the potential role of DKD-1 in improving renal function, glycemic control, and quality of life, supporting future larger-scale randomized controlled trials.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
66

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Taiwan
      • Yunlin, Taiwan, Taiwan
        • China Medical University Beigang Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged ≥18 years.
  • Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), confirmed by a nephrologist and classified as ICD-10-CM codes E11.21-E11.29 combined with N18.3-N18.4, consistent with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) definitions.
  • Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.
  • Willingness to comply with study procedures and follow-up visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute kidney injury or major kidney-related surgery within 3 months prior to enrollment.
  • Participation in another clinical trial within 3 months that may significantly affect renal function.
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • History of malignancy currently receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or other systemic anticancer treatment.
  • End-stage disease as defined under palliative care regulations.
  • Known allergy to any components of the DKD-1 herbal formula, including Astragalus membranaceus, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Chinese yam, Poria cocos, Moutan cortex, Schisandra chinensis, or Smilax glabra.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: DKD-1 plus standard therapy
Participants receive DKD-1 (14.5 g/day) orally in addition to standard care for 12 weeks. Standard care includes guideline-based management of blood glucose, blood pressure, and kidney protection therapy, which remains stable throughout the study period. DKD-1 consists of Astragalus 3.0 g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 2.5 g, Chinese yam 2.5 g, Poria 2.0 g, Moutan cortex 1.5 g, Schisandra 1.0 g, and Smilax glabra 2.0 g as concentrated herbal granules. Participants in the control group receive standard care alone without DKD-1 supplementation.
Other: Chinese herbal formula DKD-1
DKD-1 is a traditional Chinese herbal formula administered orally at a total daily dose of 14.5 g for 12 weeks. The formula consists of Astragalus membranaceus (3.0 g), Salvia miltiorrhiza (2.5 g), Chinese yam (2.5 g), Poria cocos (2.0 g), Moutan cortex (1.5 g), Schisandra chinensis (1.0 g), and Smilax glabra (2.0 g). It is used as an adjunct to standard care in patients with diabetic kidney disease.
No Intervention: Standard therapy alone
Participants receive standard care alone for 12 weeks. Standard care includes guideline-based management of blood glucose, blood pressure, and kidney protection therapy, maintained without addition of DKD-1 during the study period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)
Time Frame: From baseline to 12 weeks of treatment
Change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to week 12. eGFR is calculated using standard clinical laboratory methods. The primary endpoint is defined as the difference between eGFR at week 12 and baseline (ΔeGFR = eGFR_12weeks - eGFR_baseline).
From baseline to 12 weeks of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
China Medical University Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
China Medical University Beigang Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Ing-Shiow Lai, MD, PhD, China Medical University Beigang Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 11, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 15, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CMUH115-REC3-059
  • CMUBH-TCM-DKD-1 (Other Identifier: China Medical University Beigang Hospital)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

The data sharing plan is currently undecided. A final decision regarding the sharing of individual participant data will be made upon the completion of the study and prior to the publication of the primary results.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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