A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study administering the Chinese herbal medicine Tianqi along with lifestyle education was performed on 400 patients in China over a span of 12 months. Tianqi is a formula of ten Chinese herbal medicines used in China for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Following the intervention, it was found that significantly fewer Tianqi patients had progressed to diabetes, 18% versus 29% from the control group. In addition, 63% of the Tianqi patients versus 47% in the control group were able to achieve normal glucose tolerance. The study concluded that Tianqi “holds promising potential as an effective and practical mean to prevent type 2 diabetes.”

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