Diabetic Patients with Frequent Nocturnal Urination Can Use Dietary Therapy
Many diabetic patients suffer from frequent nighttime urination, leading to insufficient sleep, fatigue, poor appetite, anxiety, irritability, and lethargy. Nocturnal polyuria is a common symptom among diabetic patients.
Diabetes causes multi-faceted damage to renal tubules. Studies show functional changes can occur before histological alterations appear. Therefore, nocturnal polyuria can serve as an early warning sign of kidney disease. Early intervention based on this symptom aligns with TCM’s principle of "treating disease before it occurs."
Healthy individuals excrete about 1.6 liters of urine daily. Normal daytime-to-nighttime urination ratio is approximately 3–4:1 in adolescents, 1:1 in middle-aged and older adults, and 1:3 in seniors over 70. Nocturnal polyuria is defined as nighttime urine volume exceeding half of total daily urine or a decreased daytime-to-nighttime ratio. Mild cases involve 2–3 awakenings, severe cases up to 10 or more.
Treatment for nocturnal polyuria includes blood-activating drugs: intravenous infusion of Kai Shi (prostaglandin E emulsion) 10–20 micrograms daily for 10–14 days per course; or intravenous infusion of Salvia miltiorrhiza injection 10–30 ml daily for 10–14 days per course. Long-term oral administration of compound Danshen dripping pills or Tongxinluo capsule is also effective. We commonly prepare a mixture of 5 parts leech powder, 3 parts Sanqi powder, 3 parts peach kernel paste, 3 parts earthworm powder, and 1 part rhubarb powder, encapsulated. Take 4 capsules three times daily, long-term use, beneficial for preventing multiple complications of diabetes.
Decoctions also show efficacy. We select Su Quan Yin to warm and tonify kidney qi, consolidate the bladder, and stop leakage.
Formula: 9 grams of Curculigo, 9 grams of Epimedium, 30 grams of lotus seed, 30 grams of hawthorn fruit, 9 grams of ginkgo nut, 30 grams of silkworm pupa, 15 grams of placenta, 9 grams of Cornus officinalis, 9 grams of lotus seed meat, 15 grams of Cistanche, 30 grams of Astragalus, 3–6 grams of ginseng (decoct separately and mix in).
If accompanied by benign prostatic hyperplasia, add 9 grams of alum, 6 grams of perilla leaf, 6 grams of orange seed, 3 grams of agarwood; if accompanied by soreness and weakness in waist and knees, add 15 grams of stir-fried Eucommia, 15 grams of Dipsacus; if accompanied by insomnia, add 30–60 grams of sour jujube seed, 6–9 grams of schisandra; if accompanied by irritability and anxiety, add 30 grams of fresh lily, 12 grams of mimosa flower, 15 grams of raw rehmannia, 3 grams of coptis; if urine is clear and long, add 6 grams of raw aconite root, 6 grams of cinnamon twig, 6 grams of deer antler frost; if urine is turbid and foul-smelling, add 9 grams of sophora root, 9 grams of gentian root, 30 grams of poria.
After about two weeks of medication, nocturnal polyuria significantly decreases. Additionally, dietary therapy can be used. Use Cordyceps sinensis soaked in water as tea, 6–10 pieces daily, soak multiple times, chew and swallow after soaking. Alternatively, use 9 grams each of goji berries, crataegus fruit, mulberry fruit, and hawthorn fruit as tea. Or use 60 grams of Astragalus and 9 grams of ginkgo nut to make soup. Or cook porridge with 50 grams of lotus seed, 15 grams of black sesame, 50 grams of roasted coix seed, and 10–20 peeled longans. Cordyceps, goji berries, crataegus fruit, mulberry fruit nourish kidney qi to treat the root cause; ginkgo nut and lotus seed astringent to reduce urination to treat the symptom.