Abstract：Objective：To observe the clinical effect of Jianpi Yishen tang combined with epalrestat for early diabetic kidney disease(DKD). Methods： A total of 84 cases of DKD patients at early stage were selected and divided into the observation group and the control group according to the random number table method，with 42 cases in each group. Both groups were given basic treatment including high-quality low protein diet， control of blood glucose and blood pressure， and the maintenance of electrolyte and acidbase balance. The control group was given oral administration of epalrestat tablets， and the observation group was additionally treated with Jianpi Yishen tang based on the treatment of the control group. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. After treatment，the clinical effects in the two groups were evaluated. Before and after treatment，the changes in Chinese medicine syndrome scores and kidney function indexes including serum creatinine(SCr)，urinary albumin excretion rate(UAER) and glomerular filtration rate(GFR) in the two groups were compared. Results： The total effective rate was 95.24% in the observation group， higher than that of 80.95% in the control group， the difference being significant(P＜0.05). Before treatment，there was no significant difference being found in the comparison of soreness and weakness of waist and knees，mental fatigue and lack of strength，and limb swelling between the two groups(P＞0.05). After treatment， the scores of each symptom in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05)，and the symptom scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05). Before treatment， there was no significant difference being found in the comparison of the levels of SCr，UAER and GFR between the two groups(P＞0.05). After treatment，the levels of SCr and UAER in the two groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment， and GFR levels were increased(P＜0.05)；the levels of SCr and UAER in the observation group were lower than those in the control group， and GFR level was higher(P＜0.05). Conclusion： Jianpi Yishen tang combined with epalrestat for patients with early DKD has a definite curative effect，which can effectively improve clinical symptoms and protect kidney function.