If you suffer from canker sores, then you know how painful and irritating these recurring ulcerated mouth sores can be. They appear on the inside of your mouth - on the tongue, soft palate (the back portion of the roof of your mouth), or inside your cheeks, and are round, white, or gray in color, with a red edge or border.



There seems to be a controversy on the cause of canker sores, and even exactly what they are - a bacterial or viral infection? An allergic reaction to certain food, or a vitamin deficiency?

It appears that different causes may be the trigger for different people. To find an effective treatment, it's helpful if you can determine what seems to cause them by paying attention to patterns of occurrence.

VIRAL CLUES. If your canker sores occur after a dental procedure or other painful experience in the mouth area, or when you are over-tired, experiencing stress or receiving chemo therapy or radiation treatments, consider that the same virus that causes a cold sore, herpes simplex I, may be the culprit.

Items that Contain Anti-viral Properties:

Golden Seal Mouth Wash - Golden Seal is an herb. You can make your own golden seal mouth wash by mixing a quarter teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of golden seal powder (contents of one capsule) into a cup of warm water. Be aware that the golden seal powder will not dissolve completely but the mixture will still work just fine as a mouth wash. Rinse your mouth with this mouthwash at least three times a day.

Slippery Elm - Mix this herbal powder with water to create a paste, and smear it directly on the canker sore a few times a day. In some people, this mixture completely heals the canker sore.

Canker Sores Begone - Because this topical herbal product is ready-made and packaged in a small plastic bottle that will fit in your pocket, it's convenient for frequent applications throughout the day. Those I've recommended it to find it more effective than anything else they've used.

FOOD ALLERGIES. When you eat acidic food such as a tomato, citrus fruit, strawberries, grapes, chocolate, certain nuts, spicy or salty food, sugar or coffee, do you get a canker sore? If the answer is yes, or I think so, try one or both (but not at the same time) of the following suggestions:

Eliminate the suspected foods for a few weeks, and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which one triggers a canker. This may take a little self-discipline, but it's well worth the experiment.

Another approach is nutritional supplementation. Take 1,000-1,200 milligrams of buffered vitamin C daily to help reduce the level of histamines in your body. You can enhance the effectiveness of the vitamin C by taking 1,000 milligrams of quercetin daily as a preventive which will inhibit histamine release, reduce inflammation, and allow for quicker healing for an existing canker sore.

A THIAMIN DEFICIENCY? Research shows that a deficiency of thiamin can lead to recurrent mouth ulcers. Take 100 milligrams of thiamin daily as a preventative.

A High-Potency Multivitamin - I always recommend to buy vitamins at a health food store or online vitamin retailer, because there, you'll know the vitamins will be of a higher quality. The vitamin you chose should include 500-1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 800 micrograms of folic acid, 20 milligrams of zinc, and 10 milligrams of iron. Add what you need to from individual supplements if the multivitamin doesn't include all you need.

If you don't find that the causes above apply to your situation, don't despair. Here are two remedies that just may provide the relief you're looking for:

Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) - This is a form of the herb known as licorice. It has anti-inflammatory properties, speeds the healing process, and soothes the discomfort of canker sores. Empty the powder from a capsule into one half cup of lukewarm water, dissolve the DGL, and swish the solution around in your mouth. Repeat this at least two or three times a day until the sore has healed.

Tea Bag - Tannin is an astringent polyphenol found in tea. For some people, it helps to relieve canker sore pain almost instantly by holding a used tea bag against the sore for three to four minutes. Until healed, repeat a few times a day

If one remedy doesn't seem to work, just try another. For many, solving this problem requires patience and persistence, so be willing to invest it.