Cold sores are a lot more common than you think. Cold sores, also called fever blisters are primarily caused by the herpes simplex virus and are highly contagious. When the immune system is compromised, the body becomes an easy attack of this virus. Once you infected, then it remains in the body for life as at now there is no permanent cure for it.

Cold sores are highly contagious. This means no kissing or sharing things like eating utensils, cups or towels and such like. Also, remember if you touch the sore with your hand, to ensure you wash them before touching the skin of anyone else.

There are several natural home remedies for cold sores that have been known to work quite well. Ice is one of the most well known home remedies for cold sores in preventing a breakout occurrence if caught quickly enough. You will be surprised that this simple home remedy for cold sores offers much pain relief.

Applying tea bags on your cold sores is another effective home remedies for cold sores. This is because of the tannin properties found in tea. As tea contains tannic acid which is antiviral, the herpes simplex virus is suppressed. One can also consider pressing a warm tea bag on the blisters for approximately 30 minutes.

Certain foods can prolong the occurrence of cold sores, while some can trigger their recurrence. Limit your consumption of sugar, caffeine, those high in salt content, soft drinks, and citrus fruits as they can likely trigger an outbreak. Limit your intake of arginine-rich foods such as peanuts, chocolate,grains and wheat products as virus tend to feed on arginine. Changing your diet and taking vitamin supplements are two of the best home remedies for cold sores.