Medicinal plants used for the treatment of mucositis induced by oncotherapy: a systematic review

Purpose This systematic review aimed to identify effective medicinal plants for the treatment of mucositis induced by oncotherapy. Methods The clinical question was the following: "Which medicinal plants are effective in the treatment of oral mucositis induced by cancer treatment?" (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, and SciELO). The keywords were the following: phytotherapy OR "herbal drug" OR "plant extract" OR plant OR "medicinal plant" OR pharmacognosy OR ethnobotany OR ethnomedicine OR ethnopharmacology OR "flower essences" OR "natural product" AND mucositis OR mucositides OR stomatitis OR stomatitides OR "oral ulcer" AND chemotherapy OR radiotherapy OR immunotherapy OR cancer OR neoplasm OR neoplasm OR tumor OR tumor. The inclusion criteria for the selection of articles were the type of study design (clinical trials) and the studied population (cancer patients presenting lesions of oral mucositis having undergone treatment with medicinal plants). Results After evaluation of the works, 24 of 893 articles were selected. Matricaria chamomilla (chamomilla) presented promising results, such as a reduction in severity and lesion incidence with improved pain symptomatology. The plant extracts Isatis indigotica, Olea europaea, Calendula officinalis, A. digitatae, and M. sylvestris improved the lesions. Mucotrol (TM) and QRLYD herbal products improved the degree of severity of the lesions, while SAMITAL (R) and MUCOSYTE allowed for greater pain control. Conclusion The complementary treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients, with analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions with lower side effects, is an alternative for healthcare professionals.