Cold sore home remedies normally work much better than the drug store varieties. And you pay little or nothing for these time-proven strategies. The big drug companies would prefer that you continue using their expensive products. But you will never need to again with this great showcase of cold sore home remedies.

With the advent of the internet, many home remedies for cold sores have surfaced. These are treatments that we would not otherwise know about - from all parts of the world. Some have proven very easy. Others may not give proper results unless used in a specific way.

Listed below, you will discover some of the best of these cold sore home remedies that you can count on to consistently clear your cold sores. Also, now you will know exactly how to get the best results for your specific needs.

Maybe you are using one of them now with success. Good. But you may find much better or faster relief by trying something different or combining one of these with your current remedy.

- CALCIUM - Take 1000 mg. of calcium and 400 mg. of magnesium per day to keep your pH balance on the alkaline side. Cold sores cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Avoid eating acid foods, like tomatoes, during an outbreak. Repeated cold sores often means a calcium deficiency.

- FLOUNDER - Many have reported eating one pound of steamed flounder in a single day and totally wiping out their cold sores. The key here - flounder is extremely high in lysine. Flounder has about 14,000 mg. (14 grams) of body-ready lysine per pound.

- TEA - warm, wet tea bags for fast healing once the sore has opened up. Any tea will work well but lemon balm or red raspberries have been reported as particularly powerful. Not only does the warmth encourage healing, but also the tea liquid is a strong healing remedy.

- CLEAR NAIL POLISH - You can apply to the area before the outbreak - when it first starts itching - to stop a cold sore in its tracks. The polish will peal off naturally in a day or two.

- WALNUTS - make a salve by grinding up walnuts into walnut butter. This is said to heal a sore in 7 days or less. It seems to be an unusual remedy since we generally avoid eating nuts with cold sores - because of their high content of arginine.

- HYDROGEN PEROXIDE - Great for cleansing cold sores. Use a cotton ball or tissue. Works as well as alcohol, but also bathes the sore in oxygen. This not only stops the virus cold, but greatly speeds healing. Peroxide is excellent to use from the very start.

- CAMPHOR - Topically applying camphor with a cotton ball or tissue often reduces symptoms and can give immediate relief. A good source for camphor is a product called Campho-Phenique. It contains a numbing agent that helps reduce pain too.

- GARLIC OIL - Garlic is considered one of the most powerful universal healers known. It has been reputed to cure any viral, bacterial or fungal disease. Best results will be seen with both internal and external combined treatment. Gel-caps can be cut open for topical use.

Cold sore home remedies are many. These are just a few of the very best. You will find, as others have, these cold sore home remedies will work better, and for less cost, than expensive commercial remedies.

Although these treatments work for the vast majority of people, individually they may not all work the same for you. By experimenting, researching and combining various proven methods, you will be able to design your own arsenal of cold sore home remedies.