chemotherapy often induces oral ulcerative mucositis (oUM) in patients with cancer, characterized by severe painful inflammation. Mouth-washing with the Japanese herbal medicine hangeshashinto (HST) ameliorates chemotherapy-induced OUM in patients with colorectal cancer. Previously, we demonstrated that HST decreased interleukin 1β-induced prostaglandin E2 production in human oral keratinocytes (HOKs) and OUM-induced mechanical or spontaneous pain in rats. However, HST effects on tissue repair functions in HOKs remain unclear. Here, we examined the effects of HST on scratchinduced wound healing in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, HSt enhanced wound healing mainly through scratch-induced HOK migration. Screening of the seven constituent medicinal herbs and their major components revealed that Scutellaria root, processed ginger, and Glycyrrhiza components mainly induced the scratch-induced HOK migration. Pharmacokinetic analyses indicated that the active ingredient concentrations in rat plasma following oral HST administration were below the effective doses for HOK migration, suggesting direct effects of HST in OUM. Mitogen-activated protein kinase and C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 inhibitors significantly suppressed HST-induced HOK migration. Moreover, HST enhanced tissue repair in our OUM rat model. Thus, HST likely enhanced OUM tissue repair through oral keratinocyte migration upon MAPK and CXCR4 activation and may be useful in patients with cancer-associated OUM. Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and terminal care often present with severe oral ulcerative mucositis (OUM), which evokes painful inflammation and limits fundamental life behaviours such as 'eating, drinking, and talking' 1-15. In addition, OUM increases the risk of systemic infection via opportunistic microorganisms, which may lead to the extension of hospitalization 5,15-19. OUM also often induces patients with cancer to discontinue/modify their therapy regimen, which adversely affects patient prognosis 13,15,16,20. Therefore, the effective management of OUM is indispensable for improving both the quality of life and prognosis for the patient 15 .