Hypoglycaemic Effects of Shokatsu-Cha (Xiao-Ke-Ca ) in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus

Shokatsu‐cha is a novel formula for diabetic mellitus based on the traditional Chinese medicine and composed of Dioscoreae rhizoma, Adenophorae radix, Rehmanniae radix, Anemarrhenae rhizoma, Platycodi radix, Salviae miltiorrhizae radix, Epimedii folium and Lycii fructus. The hypoglycaemic effect of Shokatsu‐cha was evaluated in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic mice and rats. When orally administered once a day for 10 days to the mice intraperitoneally injected with STZ, the Shokatsu‐cha extract suppressed the increase of the blood glucose level during administration. In the in situ intestine circulation method, the Shokatsu‐cha extract and its ethanol‐eluted fraction inhibited the glucose absorption in STZ‐induced diabetic rats. The ethanol‐eluted fraction also inhibited the increase of blood glucose level in an oral glucose tolerance test using diabetic mice. This study indicates that a part of the hypoglycaemic effect of Shokatsu‐cha is based on its inhibitory action on intestinal glucose absorption in diabetes.