Natural Remedies for Canker Sores | Home Treatments For Relief

Avoid Milk

Posted by Chris (Clifton Park, Ny, 12065) on 12/06/2007
★★★★★

For most of my life I was a regular (and during my younger years) heavy drinker of cow's milk. I suffered from horrible canker sores (3-4 at a time, each a half inch or longer) my whole life, right up until approximately 6 years ago when I eliminated milk from my diet. For me, it seems to only be related to the liquid form: I don't seem to have problems with cheese or even ice cream. However, a couple of times I've tried introducing milk again by having it on my cereal in the morning -- after about three days, I got a canker sore. Upon again stopping ingestion of milk -- no more canker sores. I was diagnosed when younger with an allergy to milk, and I wonder if this is related. I'm convinced science will catch up with this theory eventually and it will be shown that canker sores are closely related to allergies. Anyways, if you suffer from canker sores, try eliminating milk from your diet for 30 days and see what happens; I bet you'll be glad you did!

Baking Soda

Posted by Heather (Van Nuys, CA) on 11/14/2007
★★★★★

I ran a quick search over the weekend on treatments for chronic canker sores on behalf of my boyfriend who has suffered these painful occurrences since childhood. I came across this site and he decided to try the baking soda paste. It stung at first, but it helped him heal within five days and he's so happy to have found this treatment. Thanks.

Baking Soda

Posted by Hayley (Rochester, NY) on 08/09/2007
★★★★★

I get canker sores often and they cause me alot of pain when I eat or talk. I heard that baking soda can help. I started using baking soda and it takes the pain out for hours at a time. First I mix it with water to make a paste, and apply it to the sore, hold it on for a straigt minute. (yes, it stings and will bring tears to your eyes) then swish with water and spit it out. I can go to work for 6 hours and have no pain. Rinsing mouth out with a teaspon of baking soda in a glass of water periodically during the day helps too.

Green Tea

Posted by Steve (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) on 04/01/2007
★★★★★

For ALL of my adult life, I've been plagued by horrible outbreaks of canker sores, typically 2-3 very large sores at any given time. Six months ago I began drinking green tea daily as a substitute for soda. To my amazement, my canker sores disappeared and did not return. Green tea was the only dietary change I made (I still drink soda, just not as much). In addition, occasionally I will not have green tea for about a week, and soon enough the canker sores return.

I am not the type of person who really believes in folk or herbal remedies, but after discovering accidentally that green tea elminated my chronic canker sores, I am a believer in at least the health properties of green tea. I really cannot express what an improvement in quality of life this is for me and likely other chronic canker sore sufferers, so spread the word!

Yogurt

Posted by Michael (Ocean City, NJ) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★

I've had horrible canker sores my whole life. They would turn into huge open wounds that would usually last 2 weeks or so (unless I accidentally bit one) no matter what I did. I was able to figure out that acidic fruit, nuts, etc... caused them but sometimes I 'd get them anyway. I tried most remedies on this site before finding the one that works -- a yogurt a day! Now, regardless of what I eat, I never get one (unless I run out of yogurt) and if I do, they go away quickly. Good news for yogurt lovers... bummer for the others.

Yogurt

Posted by Katherine (Portland, Oregon) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★

I have a really easy cure/method of prevention for canker sores. I read this remedy for canker sores in "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedy's" about 12 years ago. I had suffered miserably from chronic canker sores since I was a child. It seemed like I constantly had them and always several at once(never just one) All you have to do is eat a cup of yogurt every day. I think the book said to eat 4 oz of plain yogurt daily but it doesn't matter. You are eating it for the LIVE CULTURES. (Don't freeze it - frozen yogurt wont work - it will kill the cultures) You can eat any flavor you like, any brand (store brand, Yoplait, Dannon, etc), fruit on the bottom, pre-stirred,etc. Doesn't matter. It will take a few weeks for the canker sores to disappear so be patient and stick with it, but if you continue to eat the yogurt they will not come back. I have not had bad canker sores now in years. I do notice that if I don't happen to eat it for more than a couple days I can feel the canker sores returning. This has been a wonderful solution for me. I hope this will help someone else. It is an easy solution for kids because there's sure to be a flavor they like.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Lee (Salem, NH) on 03/17/2007
★★★★★

I have always used hydrogen peroxide for skin infections, insect bites, cankers, cold sores & deleting blood stains. Results are quick & inexpensive. I dab it on my finger, straight from the bottle, to apply to a cold sore or canker. I have never had a cold sore for more than a day. When I was a teenager, I also applied some to any pimples that might crop up.

Avoid Milk

Posted by Win (Gainesville, FL) on 01/31/2007
★★★★★

Avoiding milk and milk products cured my canker sores. Both my mother and I suffered from sores in our mouths and we had tried many different remedies hoping to prevent them. Mom discovered that if she reduced her milk intake, she got fewer sores. Now, we both drink only soy milk and have been canker-free for years. Soy ice creams are getting better and better, too. I occasionally have some regular cheese and this doesn't seem to cause any problems. Cheese made from soy is still pretty awful.

Yogurt

Posted by Teri (Denham Springs, LA) on 11/04/2006
★★★★★

Okay, i have tried everything under the sun... including almost all of the remedies shown here but didn't get any real relief of prevention until i tried one thing... a supplement called lactobacillus acidophilus. i use the extra strength one. it is amazing! i used to get 5 even 6 sores at a time! i stayed with several all the time. now after being on this supplement i rarely get any. it has now been three weeks and i am still canker soar free. if i do get one it barely bothers me and is gone in no time. i have done alot of research on this and i promise it truley works. i was told by a doctor that canker sore also come from a build up of in yeast in your system so i was told to eat yogurt everyday but i felt i needed more (i also got tired of eating it everyday) so i found what was in yogurt (probiotics) and found an extra strength formula because my outbreaks were so bad and it really worked!!!!!! please try it....you will be amazed! remebmer to keep the bottle in the refrigerator and give it a few weeks to really start working...also remember to take it every day!!!! good luck!

Green Tea

Posted by Mike (Gainesville, FL) on 07/16/2006
★★★★★

I noticed my relatively new habit of drinking green tea is drastically affecting the frequency at which canker sores appear in my mouth. They now seem to form only in the upper part of my mouth. Swishing tea on the sore greatly reduces the time it takes (24-36 hours) for it to heal. It's amazing to find this out after years of dealing with them.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 06/27/2006
★★★★★

Take one capful of H202 and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Amanda (McKinney, TC) on 11/18/2005
★★★★★

hydrogen peroxide, swish it around in your mouth or dip a q-tip in it and place it on the canker sore..it will be gone in a few days!!

Salt

Posted by Jorge (Altoona, IA) on 10/13/2005
★★★★★

What you do is get a cotton swab with salt it won't cure it for a while but it will make it stop hurting. Also you can light up a match, blow it out and then put it on your canker sore and it will be gone in one to two days.

Tea Bags

Posted by Brenda (USA)
★★★★★

First, the tea bag, was very helpful in the healing process it definitely made the pain disappear in minutes as for the peroxide,i would use this as a last resort, but it does work! The tea bag was very successful! try it! it most definitely works! Use the peroxide as a last resort!

Yogurt

Posted by Bruce (Nova Scotia Canada)
★★★★★

I had cankers until I started eating yogurt with active bacterial cultures. It really works. One small yogurt a day & once there gone, keep eating the yogurt & they won't come back. I have done it.