Inflammatory state of Type II diabetic patients with chronic ulcers in response to herbal treatment

BackgroundType II diabetic patients easily develop ulcers over their feet which heal with great difficulties and not infrequently, end up in amputations. In the quest for innovative means to avoid amputation, herbal medicine has been used in China to heal ulcers.MethodA randomized placebo controlled clinical trial involving 80 patients was conducted to test whether a herbal formula taken orally could help to preserve the ulcerated leg. Other parameters measured included granulation maturation time, skin temperature and circulation, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α).Resultsshowed a 85% limb rescue with the herbal treatment group showing superiority over placebo group. TNF-α decline was observed with gradual ulcer healing and the herbal supplement group showed a more impressive decline (p = 0.037).