Green Tea Mouthwash protects cancer treatment patients from mouth sores

Oral mucositis is a common complication of cancer treatment commonly seen in patients treated with radiation or chemotherapy. The patient develops painful inflammation and ulceration in their mouth.

In this study from Santa Chiara Hospital in Pisa Italy, 60 patients being treated for cancer were split into two groups. One group of 32 patients received standard preventive care for mucositis and the second group of 28 patients received the standard care and also washed their mouth out 3 times a day with a Green Tea based mouthwash called Baxidil Onco; all treatments were over a period of 30 days. 82% of the patients on standard preventive care only developed mucositis and the figure dropped to 50% of patients when the green tea mouth washing was added. Also those without green tea tended to develop a much worse case of mucositis of the mouth with 25% on Green Tea developing a more severe degree but the figure jumped to 56% of patients with a more severe degree if not protected with the Green Tea mouthwash. Not only the severity and incidence e was reduced but the duration of oral mucositis was also decreased with the addition of Green Tea. The study results are reported in the April 25th edition of the journal Hematological Reports.