A cold sore often erupts as the result of the common cold - thus its name. It generally last from ten day to two weeks. Should it last longer, or occur frequently, even when the home remedy for the cold sore works each time, the patient should see a doctor to determine and fight the cause of the recurring outbreaks.
Here are various home remedies for cold sores that have been said to work. Some are to be used in conjunction with others.
The first home remedy for cold sore spread is to apply ice to the cold sore for 5-10 minutes every hour. Another way to prevent its spread is to apply a wet and cold tea bag for the same time period. The tea has tannic acid which has an antiviral effect. A warm tea bag applied for 20-30 minutes several times a day should work to remove the cold sore in five days. Foods that aggravate cold sores and whose elimination will help as a home remedy for a cold sore are chocolate, peas, nuts, seeds, oatmeal and other whole wheat foods. These foods have a lot of arginine which aggravates the cold sore blister. Acidic foods, salty foods and coffee should be reduced to help get rid of a cold sore.
Vitamin B, especially vitamin B-12, and folic acid are supplements that help rid a body of a cold sore. Another home remedy combination for a cold sore is a formula that can be made ahead of time and stored in a glass or plastic bottle. This is made with 100 milliliters of coconut oil, 2 ml of dettol and 3 ml of carbolic acid. This is applied once or twice a day directly on the cold sore. Not only is this a home remedy that works for cold sores, but also for boils, minor itching and mosquito bites. The shelf life of the formula is many years. Witch hazel is said to help cure cold sores as well.
Another lauded home remedy for a cold sore is the ingestion of four capsules of acidophilus with milk three or four times every day. Others swear by rubbing aloe gel or juice on the cold sores or apply a paste made of cornstarch. Still others say that lemon balm extracts works will, or spirit of camphor.
The final home remedy for a cold sore is a drink made of a combination of tea tree oil, herbal sage and violet - and herbal sedative. A tea is made from adding this combination, with two or three leaves of sage and a piece of ginger root or a little ginger powder to a cup of boiling water. A cup of this tea should be drunk, after steeping a few minutes, two to three times every day.
Many natural remedies are readily available for cold sores. There have been many cases where they have been extremely effective in not only treating the symptoms but also the length and severity of the cold sore outbreak. However, one very important caveat – before starting to use one of these natural remedies it is absolutely vital that you discuss this first with your doctor. If you are currently taking prescriptive medicine, there may be a conflict which could exacerbate the problem. Please check with your doctor first!
Now having said that, do not be surprised if he or she is 100% behind your decision to try a natural alternative – indeed many doctors will advise their patients to try them as a first course of action before that has even occurred to the unfortunate sufferer themselves. With the massive expansion of the internet over the last few years, there is a huge amount of information exchange going on that just wasn’t there before.
In fact data studies have been made which conclude that natural remedies can cut the time period of suffering cold sores by an amazing 79%. Not only that, they can also avert the likelihood of further outbreaks in the future. The natural remedies keep the virus indefinitely inactive rather than killing it off outright. So, having established that there is no shortage of successful home remedies that will rapidly assist you in curing your cold sore outbreak, let’s list just 10 of them.
1)Tea Bags applied directly to the sore 2)Reishi mushrooms in supplement or powder form 3)Resveratrol cream (a natural compound from red grapes) 4)Astragalus – a popular herbal tonic originating from Chinese medicine 5)Lemon Balm cream 6)Wakame - a type of seaweed popular in Japan 7)Echinacea – or purple coneflower common to North America 8)Rhubarb and Sage cream 9)Bee Propolis – as the name suggests it is collected by bees 10)Lysine in supplement form (an essential amino acid)
You should be able to find most of the above from any good health food store. The above list is by no means conclusive, and results will vary from person to person. Some will work better than others, some may have no effect at all. However, various studies have shown significant success with them, hence their inclusion here.
Also potential new herbal remedies are being constantly tested so it is always worthwhile to keep up with the latest developments.
Both Lee Dobbins & Robert H Black Black are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lee Dobbins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Diamonds and Install Flooring. Lee Dobbins writes for For more tips on home remedies and improving your health and energy naturally, sign up for her. Lee Dobbins's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Robert H Black Black has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Health and Disease & illness. Did you know you could be home free from cold sores in just 3 days from now? Click on Robert’s site/ to see what you’ve been missing!. Robert H Black Black's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.