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.
Olive Leaf Extract
Posted by Jake (Madison Wi ) on 11/22/2017
★★★★★
I started getting cold sores about once a month sometimes twice and eventually read about olive leaf extract. I started taking them. 4 per day, 2 in the morning and at night. It seems like it took forever, but months later they stopped and so far I haven't had a single one in nearly 2 years. I have not been checked to see if the virus is gone or not, but I'm not complaining. I also combined with lysine pills. Eventually I reduced my dosage to 2 per day and then eventually just one pill a day of the olive leaf extract. I'm extremely grateful to God and for the information I came across that lead me to it. I had to stick with it and it did take months to work, but totally worth it.
Baking Soda
Posted by Suzanne (Fort Wayne, US) on 07/26/2014
★★★★★
Inez from Kent UK. Inez, I too suffered from cold sores till I started taking baking soda mixed with water in the morning on an empty stomach. I have 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with a cup of water four to five days a week. I have not had one outbreak since I started years ago. there is much written on the subject here on EC. It works, it's cheap and I feel great.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Donkeypoofed (Calgary) on 01/29/2014
★★★★★
I was at work one night and could feel the tingling start. Unfortunately, I had 8 more hours until I could get home to my Oil of Oregano, so the sore came up. I immediately put on 2 drops of undiluted oil and within mere hours, the sore was healing!! The blister balloon had deflated and the pain was mostly gone. I knew Oil of Oregano was good, but even I am blown away by how good it is!
Ear Wax
Posted by Robin (St. Augustine, FL) on 06/25/2009
★★★★★
It is my wish to relieve people of the embarassment of the stigma that goes with walking around with huge, weeping, gross cold sores on the lips. You DO NOT have to live with this anymore. Ever!! At the first sign of 'tingle' get some of your OWN ear wax, yes, I said ear wax, via swab, finger or whatever....and apply to the tingle spot. That cold sore will never come into fruition. You will feel the battle going on immediatley. Do not guffaw and say 'ewwww gross' as this is a very real effect. Of course you are not going to want to run your tongue around your lips for about a day....but so what? I've never, ever suffered another cold sore again....This is a solid thing. Your ear, nose and throat are all one and if one gets 'infected', the others send out 'soldiers' so the whole system is not infected. Your ears have the remedy for cold sores. Just do it and don't hem and haw. It is 100% effective. Get over the gross out factor and allow what nature produces to do what it's supposed to do. You don't even have to tell anybody how you are cold sore free....they probably can't handle it but it's nice to know that you have the 'lip balm' that will free you from that dreaded situation. You can do this in any stage of the infection...it will halt its tracks upon application...but why wait till you're sporting the fugly scab? When you feel the tingle....start harvesting nature's remedy supplied in your own ear. And have a blessed day.
Lugol's Iodine, Coconut Oil
Posted by Maria K. (Frankfurt, Germany) on 08/19/2021 6 posts
★★★★★
In the Past I used to get cold sores on my lips almost every month. That was so annoying and painful. Three years ago I visited my homeland and being a guest and having parties with friends and relatives ate spicy dishes with ketchup and drank so much soft drinks that at the end of my journey when next night I had a flight for Germany I felt tingling on my lips, alarming cold sore is coming.I wanted urgent relief and want to stop it on its way, because I did not want to travel in constant pain and looking horible with swollen lips.I had Lugols Iodine 5% and coconut oil at hand.
In desperation I took 5 drops of Lugols Iodine and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil after 4 hours took another dose of 5 drops of Iodine and coconut oil. After 2 hours I felt a little relief in tingling on lips and cold sore stopped getting bigger.After 2 hours before depature of my flight I took third time 5 drops of Lugol's Iodine and no more coconut oil.In aeroplane I was sitting relaxed and happy with my family, no more tingling and pain.So quick relief I had never in my life.When I reached home the little sore had turned brown.So in the last three years I did not have a single episod of herpes because at the first sign of herpes I start this protocol, always works like a charm.Now I can eat spicy and sour dishes, ketchup, nuts and soft drinks in moderation without any fear of getting herpes.
I take daily 4 drops of Iodine for general health too.
I think same protocol will work for gentials Herpes too.
Camphor
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 01/05/2021
★★★★★
Campho-Phenique (Liquid in the green bottle) which you can buy over the counter at any drug store.
Campho-Phenique is an old folk remedy for many skin issues. Camphor is known to have antiviral activity. Studies state that external application of lavender oil mixed with Camphor deactivates both herpes simplex type-1 and herpes simplex type-2 virus. This prevents spreading of the herpes infection.
It works for any type of herpes virus such as cold sores or shingles. Apply with Q-tip to affected area three to four times a day. It dries up the sores immediately.
I got introduced to Campho-Phenique back in the late 70's when I had a mouth ulcer. My parents had a bottle of it in the bathroom cabinet. I dipped a Q-tip into the liquid and rubbed it on the mouth ulcer, waited about a minutes and spit it out. The mouth ulcer was gone by the next day. I've been using this product for other skin issues ever since.
Ear Wax
Posted by Angela (Wyoming) on 06/23/2016
★★★★★
Alright you all need to try ear wax for a cold sore. I had a huge one on my bottom lip. I tried 1/2 bottle lysine, acetone, salt, honey, abreva, toothpaste and many many more and nothing! I then decided to try earwax. I kid you not it immediately felt better. No stinging or burning like most products did. The swelling went down in a hour and no redness. By hour 3 virus gone! It you are at your wits end please try this or do when it first tingles. Wash hands really really good. Don't use same finger that touched sore in ear please!! Do this upon the first tingle and keep doing it until no tingle. It really is a true miracle!!! Thank you God for having a free remedy to get rid of these nasty things from the devil.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Tmccallum (United States ) on 12/29/2015
★★★★★
For years I would get re-occurring cold sores when a change in the weather would come;typically from warm to cold. However, this year I used HP and soaked a cotton ball in it and applied (ran back and forth) on my upper lip for repeatedly until I felt it tingle on my upper lip. The tingling helped me to know that it was working. I did this until the tingling stopped. NO cold sore! Not sure this will work for everyone but I can feel when something is not working right on my body and I try to be proactive in stopping it. I hope this helps!
Iodine
Posted by Kilgore (Jackson, Ms) on 12/06/2012
★★★★★
I have had a long standing oral herpes infection completely resolved by taking Lugol's iodine 5% solution. Ten drops in my coffee in the morning and ten more in milk after lunch. Took about two months, but infection is completely gone, including scars and blemishes.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Bill (New York, Nyc Usa) on 11/23/2012
★★★★★
I've been battling cold sores for twenty years. They would appear whenever my body got "run down" (fatigued). I suspect that my immune system is not as strong when I'm really fatigued and that's when the cold sores appear.
As somone who travels for business, frequently crossing time zones, there are several times a year when I don't get enough sleep and get "run down" Up until recently, the cold sores would appear without fail. I tried taking food grade hydrogen peroxide according the the advice given on this site. That hasn't worked for me yet but what HAS worked is very simple. When brushing my teeth, I dip my toothbrush in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water (half h2o2 and half water) and simply brush my lips with the solution. The h2o2 is the 3% kind found in conventional drug stores. It's been two years and I've only had two occurances of cold sores, both when I neglected to bring my h2o2 with me while traveling. This is not a perfect cure because when I've neglected to brush with the h2o2 and haven't gotten enough sleep, the cold sores reappeared. But even after a cold sore has developed, I've brushed with the solution and the cold sore has gone away in two days maximum. This really is a completely workable way to manage cold sores. If I feel a "tingle" on my lip, which is an indication that a cold sore is about to appear, I quickly brush with the h2o2 and water. I've actually begun to brush this way on a daily basis just as a precaution.
I've recently discovered that they are making toothpaste with h2o2 as an ingredient. I've been using this for the last 3 months and the results have been the same. No cold sores. This is even easier.
This is a really simple remedy and I'm anxious to hear if it works for you.
The short version is to simply brush your lips with 1.5% h2o2 daily and also whenever you feel a "tingle". Let me know how you do!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Nan (Canada) on 04/30/2023
★★★★★
My multi - protocol:
1. The minute I feel tingling, I dab it with OREGANO, GARLIC, or GOLDEN SEAL essential oil, (or, if necessary, ACETONE/nail polish remover - I spit out any that goes into my mouth). I dab one of the above herbs on my lip every hour or two - I use only one herb a time, but you can rotate them from hour to hour. Use Acetone only 3 times a day or less.
Another remedy that you can also use WITH the above or use alone:
Dab on a little mixture of cayenne pepper and coconut, olive, or any edible oil. I sometimes cover it with a bandaid for a while to hold it in place while it dries. This works very well on skin shingles -- as well as taking lots of Vitamin C/lysine. It might sting a little at first.
2. Take plenty of Vitamin C and lysine at least 3 - 6 times a day. (If you experience loose stools, back off, but don 't stop taking it altogether for a week or so.) Drink lots of water with the C.
_______________________________
These remedies won't eliminate the cold sore completely if it's already formed a pea-sized bump, but it will stop it from growing into a larger bubbly marble as the sore will flatten and stop tingling or feeling painful. (By the second or third day, your lip might still have a reddish, flattened dried-out light bump, but it should pass as looking merely chapped.)
**** When the tingling first starts and your lips are dry, do the protocol immediately. If you aren't at home, if necessary, rub on a bit of salt, tabasco sauce and/or vinegar. Carry apple cider vinegar and vitamin C and lysine capsules in your purse or car to take in an emergency. Do NOT wait! For me, consuming excessive sugar (and occasionally too many nuts, which contain arginine, and for some, excessive pop or alcohol) is the major culprit and the bitter vinegar, pickle juice/sauerkraut, lysine, and vitamin C supplements seem to counteract that.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Renee (El Dorado, Kansas) on 05/28/2007
★★★★★
My vanity for white teeth found me reaching for the peroxide 16 years ago. A side affect was that I was no longer experiencing cold sores (approx 6 a year). My regime was brushing teeth, gums, and tongue with peroxide a couple times a week. When I forgot to do this, the tingling sensation of an outbreak reminded me to do the peroxide treatment and no cold sore surfaced. There have been a few times that I was out of peroxide and got the cold sore but it was gone within 2 days of getting peroxide and the sore was very mild. Apply directly in addition to brushing the entire mouth. I've had two cold sores in the last 15 years. The one during my divorce and the other after getting unjustly fired from my job. Both were mild attacks.
Acetone
Posted by V (US) on 11/04/2023
★★★★☆
Be Careful with Acetone!
Acetone is so powerful it will take the paint right off your car!
You are using it to kill the virus, this shouldn't take more than 1 day, once the virus is dead, meaning the cold sores stop growing and developing, you need to stop using acetone, it is used to kill the virus, not to heal the cold sore, the healing process happens naturally, the more you leave it alone the quicker it will heal.
DMSO
Posted by Rose (Bowie, MD) on 10/14/2021
★★★★★
Apply dmso at first sign of cold sore it will shrink and prevent it even becoming an open blister within 10-15 mins
L-Lysine
Posted by Bethany H. (San Diego, Ca) on 02/10/2019
★★★★★
L-lysine for cold sores WORKS!!!
My mom, sisters and I suffer from cold sores- or at least we used to, because we discovered that taking L-lysine stops, actually STOPS cold sores in their tracks. As soon as you feel that “is that a cold sore funny sore feeling “ on your lip or around lips area, start taking L-lysine immediately! Take 1000 mg of L-lysine two to three times a day. So immediately effective and we all carry in our purse and on trips so we have immediate help in case it strikes while you're out and about. I've spent so much money or various cold sore lip creams but this is the best ever! L-lysine.
Acetone
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 11/09/2015
★★★★★
Acetone is working really well. Had the worst cold sore of my life a month ago and now a month later another one. I felt the tingling and immediately started with Hydrogen peroxide. Later read on here that acetone works very well too so I started using that. It has dried out the cold sore better than the HP. The cold sore is barely visible and has not swollen huge or burst or anything. it is Just red and a little swollen, It is very dried out and seems to be going straight to scabbing, although you cant really see a real "scab" its just dried out and dry skin but you cant tell unless you look real close in the mirror. This sore is in the same spot as the really bad one a month ago but also spread down the lip even more than the really bad one. I feel that if I would not have used the acetone this sore would have been the worst one ever. The first day I felt the tingling I used HP. The next day no sign of a sore but still put HP on it for about 10 min twice that day. Day 3 I woke up and the sore started to pop up like normally, reddish and a glossy bump. It wasn't too big, yet! It was about the size of Lincolns head on a penny. Immediately started to soak with acetone. It went down in swelling and dried out quick. Still red though. Next day, day 4, which is today, I woke up and it looked really good. swelling down still, still dried out, still a little red. Soaking in Acetone again this morning. Worked all day and it barely noticeable, barley swollen, barely red. Applying again tonight. I'm hoping that it continues to go down and not have a brown scab. Hopefully just dry crusty skin scab that you can't really see like it is now. So it should be healed within a week hopefully. which is amazing because before it would be a week before it even scabbed and then at least another week with bleeding nasty huge scab on my lip.
This is a GOD send, helping soo much. I am truly grateful!
Garlic
Posted by Fae (Santa Rosa, Ca) on 06/11/2013
★★★★★
The juice of fresh raw garlic clove applied topically stops a cold sore dead in its tracks! Results are felt instantly. I've tried many of the natural Earth Clinic remedies for cold sores (ice, peroxide, L-lysine, nail polish remover, etc. ) with varying degrees of success so when I say it works almost immediately, I am speaking from experience! As soon as you feel that dreaded tingle or see any sign of the blister, peel a raw clove, nick the end to release the juices (or smash it in a garlic press) and apply to the sore. Hold it on there for about 15 seconds. It will sting like a sonuva..but that is the garlic juice doing its job and is actually a satisfying sensation. I usually only have to do this 2 or 3 times within an hour or two, holding it on there for about 15 seconds each time (any longer and the strong juice may irritate the skin) and the virus inside the cold sore dies or retreats. You can feel it! Any physical damage the cold sore has caused will have to heal in it's own time which is why it's best to catch it before there is any visible sign but even when I had a big red swollen bubble, it flattened within an hour, dried up and flaked off within a day or so. Instantly effective and dependable! I have read that garlic is a strong anti-viral and it is now my only cold sore treatment. I love Earth Clinic and wanted to share this simple but effective cold sore cure.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Sue M. (Worden, Il, USA) on 12/16/2012
★★★★★
My "cold sore" outbreaks consist of naturally the lip pustules, but also I have the bad headache, body aches and pain and so very tired.... Flu like symptoms. At the first sign of an outbreak, I would take lysine and it would help lessen the symptoms by 25%, but I was looking for a prevention to the outbreaks that I could take on a day by day basis. That's when I read about the Oil of Oregano. Got my first bottle on the 6th and used 2 drops under my tongue for 10 to 15 seconds, followed by a large glass of warm water. I had a cold sore come up on Friday (14th) and immediately increased my drops to 3 and put the oregano directly on the lip (up to 3 to 4x's a day). My symptoms were cut, I would say, by 75% to what they used to be. I had about 1/2 day of downtime, compared to 3 days before and my lip stayed contained to the cold sore and no swelling like I usually get. I did do the lysine on the 1st and 2nd day, but I really attribute the scaling down of my cold sore issues to the Oil of Oregano. To compensate for it taking iron out of my system, I just drink a tbs of blackstrap molasses to warmed almond milk every other day. There are so many benefits to taking this..... I found alot of information on so many sites. Hope this helps someone.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Vitaminjunkie (Marietta, Georgia, United States) on 11/15/2012
★★★★★
I used Oil of Oregano in capsule form for about 5 months. I used one 1500 mg. Capsule in the afternoon and sometimes another at night. I also used the straight oil of oregano itself on the outbreaks. This was for genital herpes, and I have never had another outbreak since, but I took the capsule - usually just the one afternoon dose -
EVERY DAY. This... Stuff... works! Have had many stressful situations happen in the past few months and not a single outbreak even though I quit using the stuff about two months ago.
Additional notes: Oil of oregano can cause problems with iron absorption. If you take an iron supplement - I would take it early in the morning so that it can be absorbed and then take the oil of oregano later in the day. Also, if your immune system is compromised in other ways - say HIV or any other immune system related illnesses - oil of oregano may not be an option for you because it might affect other medications. You would have to check with your health professional on this. That being said, if it's just the herpes virus that is your problem (oral or genital) and you are trying to kill it - consisten use of oil of oregano will absolutely do this! Don't let the medical profession tell you there's no cure!
L-Lysine
Posted by L (New York, New York, Usa) on 03/29/2011
★★★★★
I have found that taking large doses of L-lysine as SOON as the cold sore begins to develop will cause it to never develop... Or if it does, it won't be noticeable, and won't last more than a couple of days. I have recently undergone a period where I have fought off about 4 cold sores in about a month. It has been absolutely terrible, however, I have gotten to the point where I am pretty sure I have come up with a foolproof prevention and treatment method.
First of all, STRESS and DIET are the two main culprits of these sores. Any diet high in Arginine combined with unusually high levels of stress, little sleep, or menstration will definitely make it hard for the body to fight off cold sores. I have found that I MUST completely eliminate coffee, any form of nuts (including peanut butter), oatmeal, and soft drinks in order to prevent these suckers from appearing. Chocolate intake also needs to be monitored. All 4 times that I have gotten these sores, I had had unusually high levels of stress and had a ton of coffee/soft drinks. I don't know if it is the caffeine or coffee itself, but I do know this must be avoided altogether for me.
Taking L-Lysine each day is NOT suggested, since your body will become immune to it, and it won't be as effective taking it when a cold sore does appear. However, making sure to eat foods with Lysine everyday if you are a frequent sufferer is essential. Yogurt (with live cultures) is wonderful as far as lysine counts are concerned. I have started to include yogurt in my daily diet , and other dairy products such as cheeses and milk, since these are all wonderful foods rich in lysine. Also, most vegetables are excellent as well.
Despite all these precautions, sometimes the suckers still appear, and treatment is vital in getting rid of them quicker. I use a combination of abreva (as soon as it first appears), hand sanitizer (especially if the blister is very tiny... I will pop it and IMMEDIATELY apply hand sanitizer to kill the germs... And make sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward.. This seems to be effective), as well as nail polish remover to dry it up. The bigger the sore gets however, the less you should touch it. Definitely do not pop it if it is huge, since this will only spread germs. The best method for a huge sore is to dry it out, so nail polish remover is best. Also application of honey, beeswax, and hot tea bags have all seemed to relieve it, though I am not sure if those actually HEAL the sore.
On top of these topical applications, I also take LARGE doses of lysine (about 1000 every few hours), as well as Vitamin C. I believe this is honestly the most crucial part of the whole treatment. Make sure your diet is completely free of arginine when the sore is developing... Otherwise it might get pretty nasty. Arginine is prevolent in coffee, chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, coconut, oatmeal, wheat (meaning bread and beer needs to be avoided!! ), jello, brown rice, beans, and lentils.
Eating a lot of licorice also has seemed to help me a ton(make sure the licorice you buy contains real licorice extract... the artificial stuff won't help).
This is a lot... But this is my method of prevention and treatment that seems to work quite nicely. Hope this helps someone!!
