Saniya, C.K.Rao, Mangalagowri V.Patil, RajkalaChoudhary, SunilSingh, Om PrakashDhiman, K.S.2025-01-282025-01-2820239759476https://dl.bhu.ac.in/ir/handle/123456789/21325Background: Patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemo-radiation (CCRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often suffer from side effects such as mucositis, xerostomia, pharyngitis, laryngitis, and pain, which are being managed symptomatically by alcohol-based mouthwashes. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of Ayurvedic mouthwash �Draksha Guduchyadi Kashaya� in reducing the severity of oral side effects of chemo-radiation. Material and methods: This concurrent parallel randomized controlled study was conducted at Sir Sunderlal Hospital, BHU, on 70 HNSCC patients scheduled to undergo RT/CCRT. Patients who met the inclusion-exclusion criteria were enrolled, and 35 were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (Ayurveda) or the control group using a simple random technique (lottery method). Blinding was not implemented in this study. Patients in the intervention group (Ayurveda) were instructed to perform kavala with 50 ml of �Draksha Guduchyadi Kashaya� for 2 min, ten times daily, while the control group performed 2-min gargling with soda-salt mouthwash ten times daily. Results: Out of the 70 patients enrolled, data from 60 patients were analyzed, revealing statistically significant differences in the onset of mucositis (p = 0.049), pharyngitis (p = 0.034), laryngitis (p = 0.009) and intensity of variables such as mucositis (p = 0.000), xerostomia (p = 0.046), pharyngitis (p = 0.002), laryngitis (p = 0.035), and pain (p = 0.000). These findings indicate that Ayurvedic mouthwash may be beneficial in managing the oral side effects of chemo-radiation in HNSCC. Conclusion: This AYUSH financially supported trial (Reg No: CTRI/2020/04/024672) demonstrates promise as a safe and cost-effective alternative for managing oral complications of RT/CCRT, offering complementary treatment for comprehensive cancer care. � 2023 The AuthorsenAyurvedic mouthwashChemo-radiationDraksha guduchyadi kashayaHead and neck cancerKavalaOral complicationsArticlehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100829