Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of abdominal acupuncture plus pricking bloodletting in treating diabetes-associated herpes zoster. Methods One hundred diabetes patients were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 50 cases each. Both groups took oral hypoglycemics and acyclovir. In addition, the treatment group received abdominal acupuncture plus pricking bloodletting and control group, electroacupuncture plus local surround needling. The time for blister disappearance, the time for pain relief and the time for scabbing were observed in the two groups before and after treatment. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups. Results The total efficacy rate was 92.0%in the treatment group and 86.0%in the control group;there were statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the time for blister disappearance, the time for pain relief and the time for scabbing between the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05). Conclusion Abdominal acupuncture plus pricking bloodletting is an effective way to treat diabetes-associated herpes zoster.