The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Cassie (Augusta, GA) on 06/29/2008
★★★★★
ACV or Tea Tree Oil to cure cold sores.
I used ACV on a q-tip pressing firmly, and repeated several times throughout the day. This began to dry up the cold sore on my upper lip after only a few hours...however, it caused a bit of skin irritation around the area which kind of defeated the purpose (i have very sensitive skin). So the next day I switched to tea tree oil applied with a q-tip (making sure to use new q-tips for each application). Cold sore is almost completely dried and the irritation from the ACV is dissapearing.
L-Lysine
Posted by Jodi (AV, Minn) on 04/01/2008
★★★★★
L-LYSINE Keep it simple - you feel the tingle - take (2000 to 3000mg) lysine asap! then (2000 to 3000mg) 3 times a day -for 2 days. Day 3 reduce to (1000 to 1500mg) 3 times a day. Day 4 (1000 to 1500mg) 3 times a day. Day 5 & day 6 (500mg) 3 times a day. Your Done! You will either have no outbreak or only a day or two with a very small blister with this treatment.
Also note: L-LYSINE is an amnio acid not a vitamin. Do not take Lysine for long extended periods or mega dose as it can have negative effect on the liver. For mega dosing you may want to have your liver checked out. I have done this for 20 years with great success. I do not take it any other time.
Tip: For traveling back and forth - cold to warm climates, or after viruses, or muscle exersions all of which can trigger coldsores as well as large doses of stress. Take 1000mg for a week to help keep them away.
Garlic
Posted by Shane (Sherman Oaks, California) on 12/27/2007
★★★★★
I have been studying Natural Remedies and herbal cures for years and found only an obscure reference to garlic for the treatment of boils in an old text. I used to get herpes around the mouth really bad where it would sometimes completely encircle my lips by 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The way to use garlic to treat these outbreaks is this (not entirely pleasant) - Take any size clove and break or cut in half. Eat one half immediately and chew completely. Take the other half and rub into the affected areas. THIS WILL STING- That's it! repeat as necessary until the herpes pain is gone. The first time you do this it will take a few applications every day until it stops the progression of the blistering. It will scab up. There will be a longer interval between outbreaks but the next time it happens start the treatment with garlic as soon as you feel it coming on. The blistering should not get very far if it even blisters at all. It takes 3-4 progressions of outbreaks and by they should be further and further between. I have not had an outbreak since 1995. A year ago I felt it a little and used the garlic right away and the feeling stopped immediately. ODORLESS GARLIC GELCAPS DO NOT WORK FOR THIS!!! I TRIED THEM AND THEY ARE WORTHLESS. Must be fresh garlic. Do not cut corners.
Tinactin (Foot Spray)
Posted by Birdy (Ankeny, Iowa, Usa) on 04/08/2010
★★★★☆
I must agree with this. I use an off brand of this athletes foot spray that has the same medicine it it and BHT. It also is the spray that has some talc. If I feel a tingle I apply this and just leave it on for a while at home. It will wipe right off when I want it to. It has stopped all cold sores from developing for 5 months. If I feel a scare I just put it on. Dont wait until you get one, prevention is the best way to deal with these.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Lysine
Posted by Jason (Little Rock, AR) on 10/21/2006
★★★★★
I used lysine supplements already to cure HSV 1. I'd had some success using it and also used facial masks off and on to try to help clean my skin. I tried the combo of Hydrogen Peroxide and crushed lysine. This eliminated my symptoms almost instantly. After trying it and getting 7 hours sleep, my lesions were gone, healed and there wasn't a trace of anything on my face!! Highly recommended!
Hydrogen Peroxide and Lysine
Posted by Anonymous (Kansas City, Missouri) on 02/26/2006
★★★★★
To cure herpes break outs, simply crush lysine tablets up into powder, mix hydrogen peroxide with the powder, stir well, apply paste to lesions, the oxygen i the peroxide sinks deep in the skin to kill the virus, and the lysine acts as a "shield" to prevent it from coming back in the same spot, heals very rapidly. In order to kill the herpes virus, u must introduce oxygen into the blood, (or onto the affected area) oxygen will rid the virus. lysine helps with the destruction of the virus as well, and also keeps it in remission. Try this, this is guaranteed to work. also do a google search on BHT, (the next cure for herpes). BHT looks to be a breakthrough next to oxygen therapy.
Baking Soda
Posted by Susan (USA)
★★★★★
Another excellent use for baking soda is for mouth ulcers and cold sores. Simply mix a teaspoon of baking soda with 100mls of water and use as a gargle. For cold sores use the same solution. Dab directly onto the cold sore using a cotton bud. Do this at least twice a day.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Homebaked (England, UK) on 08/06/2026
★★★★★
I used to use lemongrass essential oil to treat and prevent cold sores but switched to oil of oregano after a major outbreak. Both work but the oregano is stronger in my experience.
If you add a few drops to a natural lip balm (not petroleum based) and use regularly it helps prevent them.
Local Concentrated Heat (LCH)
Posted by Bart (Athens - Greece) on 02/19/2025
★★★★★
Local Concentrated Heat (LCH)
I have used LCH machines for mosquito bites with great success. The ones with ceramic plates that can reach 51C. If one searches in the internet, there are many good comments for these machines from buyers. There is also this research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24231728/
Use these machines at least three times a day from the first signs of a cold sore. You can use them repeatedly but with 2 minutes intervals at least in order not to get burned. No more than 5 uses per hour. The burning sensation is for about 3-6 seconds.
Neem Leaves or Oil
Posted by GrassTwig (Geneva) on 02/15/2025
★★★★★
I have long been using neem oil for cold sores. It has to be used as early as possible when tingling appears. Cover the area and around the mouth with a thin layer and apply many times per day. Use a small 10ml empty essential oil bottle and fill it with neem oil and always carry it around with you.
This is the only remedy that actually prevented the cold sores from going from stage one to the other stages of the blisters. Using acyclovir, I always had to go through stages 2 to 5.
Together with neem oil, it is good to supplement with L-Lysine and reduce sugar coffee and other arginine rich food (wheat for example). When going out in the sun use lips sunscreens, as long exposure to sun is likely contributing to outbreak triggers.
Neem Leaves or Oil
Posted by Ann (Miami) on 02/16/2025
A homeopathic remedy Natrum muriaticum stops a herpes outbreak if taken in the early, tingling stage.
Bingpensan
Posted by famcoll (TN) on 08/05/2023
★★★★★
Bingpensan for Cold Sores on the Lips
Many years ago in China, a local doctor gave me a vial of Bingpengsan (borneolum and borax), which is a white or pink powder. She told me to rinse my mouth three times a day with diluted hydrogen peroxide (4 parts water, 1 part hydrogen peroxide). After rinsing, I was to use the equivalent of a Q-tip to spread the Bingpengsan lightly on the cold sore. This must be done immediately when the cold sore just emerges.
Within a day the cold sore will dry up, but keep using the treatment. About day three, the cold sore will have turned into a scab and will fall off. I've kept the vial for more than 25 years and use it whenever I feel/see a cold sore emerge. It has never failed to eliminate the cold sore immediately. I'm not sure where or how to get this type of powder in the U.S., but my acupuncture doctor has provided to me a powdered preparation in capsules called Tianqi, which has the same effect on open wounds (like blisters, burns, scrapes, bed sores). Just take the the powder out of the capsule and sprinkle or spread it on the open sore (if it's a blister, just put the powder on it). The wound will dry up and scab over very, very quickly. I've never tried the Tianqi for cold sores, but it seems to have the same action as the Bingpengsan.
L-Lysine
Posted by Sam (Miami ) on 03/25/2023
It does work, just add vitamin C.
Olive Leaf Extract
Posted by Alex (Thessaloniki, Greece) on 08/10/2017
★★★★★
I took olive leafs and it worked greatly! Here in Greece we have many olive tree so I just cut a small branch and put it in water with sugar in order to preserve.
I didn't take olive leafs when I felt the nerve in the lip irritated but I was late and took it when the blisters started to appear. I chewed two leafs and put it over the blisters for an hour, securing it with a trauma tape, tree times per day.
After just 24 hours the crust formatted in almost all the area and fluid it produced was minimised in relation to other times. Also the tingling or itching period lasted only the time I didn't put olive leafs and one day more. I have even eaten some leafs.
I continue putting olive leafs three times per day until it is almost gone. The bitter taste in olive leafs is due to Oleuropein killing the Herpes virus.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Cris01us (Honolulu) on 07/07/2017
I would let the skin rest and probably not do it more than a few times a day, especially each application is for an extended time.
Zinc
Posted by Dave Of Canada (Victoria, Bc) on 02/24/2017 15 posts
Well, it's been like a month since my last post. I have to say the zinc I take has kept working all this time. The information I read suggests that people who are addicted to chocolate are often the people with exhaustion, viral problems, anxiety, racing mind, etc. and I found today that exhaustion is reducing in me! I thought the 50mg of zinc citrate I take a day was only helping a lot with cold sores, but today I did some spring cleaning, and found that I could keep cleaning rather than taking a break every 15 minutes. I haven't noticed
any increase in energy over the past month and a half, but I seem to have energy after exertion, so I guess that's an improvement in stamina.
I also found that days when I did have chocolate gave me some small amount of that unwelcome itching and redness the next day, as I had read, but I love chocolate so! I found I have much less of a reaction with powdered chocolate than with milk chocolate.
(I was so happy that I celebrated with getting some chocolate! )
I am so glad that read of this connection with zinc/copper, that I think I might try exercising and seeing if I can raise my overall energy level.
Calamine Lotion
Posted by Molly (Tampa, Fl) on 08/05/2016
★★★★★
I've suffered with cold sore outbreaks all my life, and most of the treatments only make my sores worse. I think it's because gels and liquids irritate the sore rather than soothe it. Even a breeze blowing on it seems to make it worse. I had the idea once to coat my sore with calamine lotion to protect it from irritation and I was amazed at how it made my sore so much better. I have been using calamine lotion now for several years, and I have never had a full blown break out since. Now when I feel the tingling of a cold sore, I apply calamine lotion as soon as I can and it dries it up right away before it can develop into a huge sore. I have found the more pasty the lotion, the better it works. So I take a bit from the top of the bottle around the cap that is dried out some and dab it over the cold sore. It really is like a miracle cure for me. However, my sores tend to come up on the skin beside my lips rather than on the lips themselves, so I'm not sure how well the calamine would stick to your lips since they move around when you talk and eat. It is definitely worth a try though!
Gluten-Free Diet
Posted by Sc (U.s.a) on 02/01/2016
★★★★★
I used to get cold sores ALL the time. when I went gluten free I have had none . I know if I even get a tingle something has happened in my diet!
Coconut Oil, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Sharon (Pennsylvania) on 01/25/2016
★★★★★
Love the coconut oil for cold sores. So much better relief than anything I've tried. Also used tea tree oil this time soaked into a q-tip. But I think the coconut oil worked first. Love both for cold sores.
Olive Leaf Extract
Posted by Olivia (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 05/19/2015
★★★★★
I suffered from huge lip cold sores since my teen years. Normally they will last 1 week and them they will dry up on the following week. I could not step out of my house for at least 4 days!! It was really bad. I had tried several remedies, natural and prescription ones, with little success!! Now I have it. For me it worked!! I felt the outbreak, itching, inflammation, swelling of the lip. I took Olive leaf extract standardized pills in the following order, 2 as soon as felt it. then 2 more every 3 to four hours, for a total of eight per day. I did it for at least 2 to 3 days, until I felt nothing on my lips. I applied as well tea tree oil on the area, I did not diluted it. It worked!!! I did not get the blisters. Im not sure if it was the combination of the oil and the pills or just the pills. I tried the tea tree oil before without success. I hope this will help you as it help me!!
