Stomatitis is an inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa, often accompanied by pain. Usually it is represented by aphthous stomatitis, for which treatment steroid ointment is commonly used. However, in the cases of refractory or recurrent stomatitis, traditional herbal medicines have been used with favorable therapeutic effects. Chemotherapy, especially in the head and neck region, induces stomatitis at higher frequency, which directly affects the patient's quality of life and treatment schedule. However, effective treatment for stomatitis has yet to be established. This article presents the clinical report of Kampo medicines on the stomatitis patients in the Nihon university, and then reviews the literature of traditional medicines for the treatment of stomatitis. Among eighteen Kampo medicines, Hangeshashinto has been the most popular for the treatment of stomatitis, due to its prominent anti-inflammatory activity. It was unexpected that clinical data of Hangeshashinto on stomatitis from Chinese hospital are not available. Kampo medicines have been most exclusively administered to elder person, as compared to pediatric population. Supplementation of alkaline plant extracts rich in lignin-carbohydrate complex may further extend the applicability of Kampo medicines to viral diseases.
Keywords: Chinese herbal remedies; stomatitis.