A CONCEPTUAL STUDY ON THE ROLE OF AYURVEDA IN MANAGEMENT OF CHEMO/ RADIATION INDUCED ORAL MUCOSITIS

Chemo/Radiation induced oral mucositis is a significant problem in cancer patients undergoing therapy.It is a major dose-limiting toxicity of chemo-radiation therapy in various cancers. Ayurveda has explained conditions such as sarvasaramukha paka which are disease conditions similar to oral mucositis. There are various ayurvedic herbs with proven effect in managing and preventing chemo-radiation induced oral mucositis. Ayurveda can offer a healthy alternative to management of chemo/radiation induced oral mucositis.Future research can point to the specific ayurvedic treatments in oral mucositis imbibing the principles of Ayurveda and not focusing just on the pharmaco analytical profile of certain plants alone.