Study on the TCM Syndrome Types and Medication Rules of Diabetic Nephropathy Based on Literature Data Analysis

doi:10.16458/j.cnki.1007-0893.2025.03.016

Abstract：Objective: To explore the syndrome types of diabetic nephropathy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the characteristics and rules of herbal medicine treatment. Methods: A search was conducted in three major Chinese databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, and VIP, for clinical literature on the treatment of diabetic nephropathy with traditional Chinese medicine from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2024. The TCM syndrome types, classification of herbs, functions of herbs, and properties and meridian tropism of herbs were extracted. A database was established using Microsoft Excel 2019, and data were organized, summarized, and analyzed. Results: A total of 1676 qualified articles were included, involving 1513 herbal formulas, covering 122 kinds of herbs, with a total usage frequency of 8411 times. Qi-yin deficiency syndrome was the most common TCM syndrome type for diabetic nephropathy, and tonifying qi and nourishing yin was the most common treatment method. According to the distribution of drug treatment, the top five high-frequency herbs were Astragalus (Huangqi), Poria (Fuling), Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan Shen), Dioscorea (Shan Yao), and Cornus officinalis (Shan Zhu Yu). High-frequency herbs covered 14 categories of functions, with the top five being tonifying deficiency herbs, blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs, diuretic and damp-expelling herbs, heat-clearing herbs, and astringent herbs. The medicinal properties of high-frequency herbs were mainly neutral, slightly warm, and cold; the tastes were mainly sweet, bitter, and pungent; and the meridians with the highest frequency were the spleen meridian, kidney meridian, and liver meridian. According to the support and confidence of herb pairs, the key herb pair centered on Astragalus was 'Astragalus-Dan Shen'. Conclusion: The main treatment methods for diabetic nephropathy in TCM are tonifying qi and nourishing yin, and activating blood circulation to remove stasis, providing a reference for clinical medication based on syndrome differentiation in TCM.