Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of moxa stick moxibustion in treating diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) due to deficient cold of spleen-stomach, and to discuss the action mechanism.Method Seventy DGP patients were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 35 cases each. The treatment group was intervened by moxa stick moxibustion, while the control group was given oral administration of Domperidone tablets, 7 d as a treatment course, totally for 2 courses. The DGP clinical symptoms evaluation scale, gastric emptying time and biochemical indexes (contents of glycosylated hemoglobin and serum motilin) were compared before and after the treatment, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result After the treatment, the DGP clinical symptoms evaluation scales, gastric emptying time, and biochemical indexes were changed significantly in both groups (P<0.05). The DGP clinical symptoms evaluation scales, gastric emptying time, and biochemical indexes in the treatment group were significantly different from those in the control group after the treatment (P<0.05).Conclusion Moxa stick moxibustion can improve the quality of life of DGP patients due to deficient cold of spleen-stomach, which is possibly related to the improvement of the glycosylated hemoglobin, serum motilin and gastric emptying time.