The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (formerly the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital) is a specialist alternative medicine hospital located in London, England and a part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is the largest public sector provider of complementary medicine in Europe. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, adjacent to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
INTRODUCTION:Oral mucositis (OM) is oral mucosal damage caused by cancer treatment, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It is a common and debilitating adverse effect with significant impact on the quality of life. Current guidelines recommend various treatments, but the evidence base remains limited, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Phytotherapy, including turmeric (Curcuma longa), offers potential due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound-healing properties, which have shown promise in addressing inflammatory conditions. This systematic review aims to identify and appraise the quality of studies of turmeric/curcumin (T/C) for OM and evaluate its potential effectiveness and safety to inform future research. METHODS:A systematic search of Medline and CINAHL databases was conducted on October 20, 2025. The Cochrane Risk of Bias v2 and GRADE tools were used to assess the risk of bias and certainty of evidence. All peer-reviewed, primary randomized controlled trials were included, which examined the effectiveness, acceptability, and/or safety of T/C for OM in head and neck cancer participants receiving radiotherapy. We included studies written in any language, published at any time, and conference abstracts if we could not retrieve the full texts but not unpublished articles. Studies were included if they evaluated products containing only turmeric or curcumin (except for flavorings). Studies that evaluated turmeric or curcumin in combination with other herbs or substances were excluded. RESULTS:Nine randomized controlled trials were included, involving 503 participants. Three studies involved radiotherapy alone, and six used radio-chemotherapy. Turmeric/curcumin was administered orally (n = 3), or as mouthwashes/gels (n = 6). All studies reported superiority of turmeric/curcumin in outcomes such as severity and the onset of OM, pain, dysphagia, weight loss, hospitalization for OM, and requirement for nasogastric feeding. Adverse event reporting was generally poor, though no severe AEs were documented. Risk of bias was rated as low in five studies, with two studies rated as "some concerns" and two as "high risk." The GRADE assessment indicated low certainty evidence for two key outcomes: severity of OM and weight loss. CONCLUSION:Turmeric/curcumin for OM management appears to show some potential. High-quality, well-designed studies are needed to assess its clinical efficacy, effectiveness, safety, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness, and the optimal route of delivery and formulation.
The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) introduced, for the first time in its history, a chapter dedicated to traditional medicine (TM). This inclusion represents a major step toward the international recognition and standardization of TM concepts and terminologies.This article reviews the background, development process, and significance of incorporating the TM chapter into ICD-11, and discusses future directions for its utilization in health information systems, research, and education.The development of the ICD-11 TM chapter began in 2005 under the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office as part of a standardization project for traditional East Asian medicine. It was transferred to WHO headquarters in 2009, reviewed by 142 experts from 22 countries, and field-tested in Japan, China, Korea, and the United Kingdom.The WHO General Assembly adopted ICD-11 in 2019, and Chapter 26—Traditional Medicine Conditions Module 1—came into effect in January 2022. The inclusion of TM does not imply WHO endorsement of its efficacy or safety, but rather provides a global platform for evidence-based evaluation through research and statistical analysis. Following Module 1, Module 2—covering Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha—was released in 2025. The establishment of the Traditional Medicine Reference Group (TMRG) within WHO Family of International Classification (WHO-FIC) further facilitates integration of TM concepts into the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).The ICD-11 TM chapter provides an essential global framework for TM research, education, and policy, fostering international collaboration toward evidence-based integration of traditional medicine into health systems. Taxonomy Traditional Medicine Classification, WHO ICD-11
