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.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by T (Raleigh, North Carolina)
★★★★★
I found that using hydrogen peroxide to clean the affected area helped to speed up the healing process for cold sores. It stings, but after doing this for two days, my cold sore healed quickly!
Hydrogen Peroxide and DMSO
Posted by NONE YA BIZZ (FT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA) on 08/18/2008
★★★★☆
HI I am from florida and i have tried dmso and h2o2 by mixing together and putting on a very large bandage and leave for a few hours at a time i havent had a break out yet but its only been almost a month and i have not yet been tested again and plus i dont even know if im doing it right but i do know dmso and h2o2 is less costly on the internet!!!!!!!!! i also douch with h2o2 try it of course dilute it alot and use 35% food grade 3% aint bout s--t i feel this is the first step to the cure but next month im getting h2o2 therapy in milton fl the consultation is 300 very expensive i dont yet know the cost of the actual procedure that consist of putting h2o2 in a iv wish me luck if it works i will make a web sight for people who suffer and it will be free only the devil would make money off of peoples pain and remember it will be called the free real cure to herpes!!!!
Hydrogen Peroxide and DMSO
Posted by Elton (Lucas do Rio Verde, MT) on 04/24/2022
Hello, my name is Elton from, Lucas do Rio Verde - MT, Brazil I also use hydrogen peroxide with DMSO, I didn't get a cure, mine is genital herpes, but I won't give up the treatment because I know I need to have more discipline to achieve the result.
Fragipani
Posted by Sam (Charlotte NC)
★★★★★
I use a plant from kenya called fragipani. It cures herpes 1 and 2 by just applying its juice on the sore. It will burn when applying first but you'll be fine in 10-15min. try it, it's easy to get it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 10/30/2008 489 posts
Hi LIA, for all viruses, including genital herpes, think L-lysine 2 grams (2000mgm) 4 times per day for adults.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt
Posted by Nature Boi (Atl) on 08/31/2022
★★★★★
You can use apple cider vinegar and salts. Like put it in a cup, add salt, take a cotton swab and dip it. Put it on your cold sore will disappear in days.
Lugol's Iodine, Coconut Oil
Posted by Maria K. (Frankfurt, Germany) on 07/16/2021 6 posts
★★★★★
Lugol's Iodine, Coconut Oil for COVID and Oral Herpes
My sister, her husband and her four kids got Corona, even her newborn got infected severely.
On my recommendation (I am not a doctor, only an old reader of Earth clinic ) she and her husband took 5 drops of Lugols Iodine 5% three times a day. In addition to Lugols Iodine they took 1,2 tablespoons of Coconut oil two times a day. She gave Iodine and coconut oil to her kids too.Kids' dose is 3 drops of Lugols Iodine thrice and 1 or 2 TB of Coconut oil.
Besides these remedies, they took panadol and vitamin C from the local doctor's advice. Adults gargled with warm salt water and iodine water too.
With the grace of God Almighty they were all relieved and Cured just in two days. After two weeks they tested negative for Covid 19. I personally use this protocol for the oral herpes, I start it seeing the first sign of tingling on my lips, always works, want to share on Herpes cures page too.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Jean (Wheeling, IL) on 03/19/2020
★★★★★
Lavender essential oil applied liberally three times a day will heal cold sores in no time.
Dietary Recommendations
Posted by Diane (Idaho) on 01/04/2019
★★★★★
Avoiding Chocolate and Nuts Prevents Cold Sores
I used to get dreaded cold sores every few months and would feel so ugly for the long 5-7 days until they'd go away. It seemed related to stress, and I'm sure that contributed. But then I realized it was also due to my eating a lot of chocolate and nuts! Come to find out foods high in arginine will bring them on. Now I watch not to eat too much of these foods, and I've not had a cold sore in 2 years! If I start to feel that weird little tickle, buzz around my lip, I immediately take some lysine and lay off those foods...if you do get one, lysine pills and then topically apply a few drops of tea tree do mixed w/ a few drops of coconut oil
Acetone
Posted by Andie (Oregon) on 01/18/2017
Tried it. didn't work!!! Very disappointed... Made it spread. So mad!
Acetone
Posted by Kate (Seattle) on 11/15/2018
Do you continue using acetone after the blisters have turned to scabs? I just got my first outbreak ever and my lips are covered top and bottom and inside with sores. I used acetone and it helped bring to the scabbing stage, but do I continue or let it heal itself from now on?
Acetone
Posted by hi (hello) on 11/04/2023
No, acetone is an extremely powerful chemical, it will strip the paint right off your car, so you want to be careful and not hold it for too long in one place.
The acetone is used to kill the virus, if you cover any living thing in acetone it will die, same with the virus, once the virus is dead it scab over and start the healing process, the more you mess with the scab, the more you risk leaving a scar, so no more acetone after the virus is dead, you can tell it is dead because it is no longer growing larger and it no longer has that tingly feeling when you push down on it.
Manuka Honey
Posted by Carrie (Galena) on 10/07/2015
★★★★★
I was recently affected by something (likely a Bloody Mary Drink) I think I ate/drank along with another friend. Some other friends suggested maybe it was msg. I will never have another Bloody Mary drink there again. Maybe, but who knows for sure. I started with a swollen mouth. Gums sore and places where I have chewed my cheeks, etc.
My friend woke up with swollen lips that did not go away for a week. Since I am prone to cold sores, I found myself with one that next day as well as the swollen mouth. During the next couple of days my lips were swollen as well and canker sores developed all over them as well as the cold sore. I came here and found someone said something about manuka honey. I had recently purchased some good stuff with a 10+ UMF rating. I started by putting a 1/2 teaspoon of it in my mouth and pushing it around for about a minute. I did this about 3 or 4 times for 2 days. It burned like h... for about a minute and pain and swelling subsided. I stopped doing it when I no longer felt any pain from doing it. I created a paste using it with some coconut oil and applied it to my lips and cold sore about 5/6 times a day.
Within 2 days my mouth was completely healed with the cold sore gone in less than a week. Truly amazing as they usually last for 2 weeks for me. It's expensive, but it was well worth it for me as I'd never had canker sores and they hurt really badly. I had about 10 or more all over my inner lips which I think was a reaction from them being swollen. My friend never developed any other problems but the swollen lips.
Fresh Avocado
Posted by Clare (Penzance, Uk) on 07/01/2015
★★★★★
For cold sores, smear a small amount of avocado pear on it. If you catch it early enough it will stop it immediately. Even if you do it later I.e. the next day, it will stop the cold sore from developing. Just keep smearing it on; it will dry and you might look like an extra from a horror movie but it has to be better than some of the things that people say they are using. Marvellous cure!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Maayshia D (Alabama) on 07/20/2016
Hi, umm I have a cold sore right now and so I am using Apple Cider Vinegar on my lip and it has turned white now, does this mean that its working?
Lysine, Vitamin C and Coconut Oil
Posted by martiele (FL) on 06/09/2022
I heard magnesium oil spray does the trick But I have not had one to try it. When I have I have used aloe, aloe by cutting a square off and placing on lip sit 15 minutes and it will Usually stick for the rest of the day until it's gone. It will take me three days with aloe. Also lysine. I was drinking a lot of black tea and I heard black tea blocks lysine in our bodies and so I would get them more often or more easily prone to getting them.
Eliminating Mercury Fillings
Posted by Maxklug (Ma, Usa) on 03/05/2015
This is interesting. When one goes on a Ketogenic diet the body produces Ketones from your fat stores that are burned for fuel instead of glucose. One of those Ketones is Acetone. It would therefore make sense that those on Ketogenic diets would not have outbreaks. Perhaps the other ketones the body produces are equally effective against the virus.
There is one more thing that may be of interest to readers. I read somewhere else that outbreaks are tied to elevated levels of mercury in the body. I was originally infected in my late teens but then had years of never having another outbreak. Then in my mid thirties I had cavities filled for the first time in my life, the fillings were amalgam fillings containing mercury. I then experienced monthly outbreaks. I did not make the connection at that time as I was not aware of the connection between mercury and Herpes outbreaks.
For those concerned about mercury there is a cheap and effective way to chelate it from your body. That way is by consuming cilantro, otherwise known as coriander.
Another way to chelate Mercury is with a supplement called IP6, but that also chelates iron so women below the age of menopause should take precautions against anemia if they take this supplement.
I suspect that high levels of free iron in the blood also stimulate herpes outbreaks so men should avoid all "fortified" products that have ferrous sulphate in them. It would be hard to find a pasta or a flour sold retail that is not "fortified" but there are brands of rice that do not have it, usually jasmine rice in the asian food section of the market or at asian markets.
Monolaurin
Posted by Any (Az., US) on 02/26/2015
★★★★★
If you have an active cold sore, please do some research on Monolaurin. This is not a quick cure, but taking monolaurin everyday for 6 months while you have an active infection, has been shown to eradicate the virus permanently. It will also heal the cold sore faster than it normally would heal.
Hypericum
Posted by Anonymos (Kansas City) on 02/05/2015
Dr. Ritu,
Could you share more details about dosage, how to take hypericun etc.? The link you provided shows research for HIV, not herpes.
Carmex
Posted by Dillon (United Kingdom) on 12/02/2014
I usually get cold sores around the time when it starts warming up or cooling down (spring and fall). I don't know why but I headed to the store today to grab some Hemoform. Long story short, the more Hemoform I spread, the more the cold sore spread. CARMEX works!
Acetone
Posted by Ems (Uk) on 10/31/2014
★★★★★
Felt the tingling early and thought I had stopped it with Zovirax but woke up this morning and it was huge. I burst it with a disinfected needle and have been pressing a cotton bud with nail polish remover into it and in 3 hours it has gone down in size by a third.
Acetone
Posted by Rachelle (Idaho, US) on 11/02/2014
Wow I have never heard of using acetone! I will be incorporating this along with what I have found to be most beneficial today! I'm 51 and have suffered all my life with cold sores clear back to my grade school days! I have always considered myself as the cold sore queen! hahaha With age comes experience for what has worked best for me. At the first sign I always take a fever reducer. I take this through out the day and I even take it at night before bed. This by far has been the best way for me to attack the cold sores before they attack me at night! This has kept that god awful swelling from happening over night! Along with helping out with the pain! Thanks for the advice on the acetone can not wait to try it!
Acetone
Posted by Kim (Ny, US) on 11/07/2014
Hi, read your post and really curious to know if it worked for you. I thought like we all do I suppose that I was the cold soar queen, but I see you are too. LOL... Mine come specifically with stress. I always know when it is about to come and can usually stop it with the medicine. They gave me a larger dose than I have heard normally because of how large one got once, so I get 1000mg of Valtrex. When it first starts the tingle I take 2 and if I was early enough it won't come at all.
This past week though I was away from home, knew it was coming and forgot the medicine... sure enough, BANG! However this time it is worse than it has ever been and I've had them so bad that once my lip was swollen 3" more than normal. This one goes from the middle of my upper lip two the corner of my mouth and that has never happened. Usually its one on the lip or above but this is like 4 of them together and is horrible. So I wonder did the acetone work for you??????
Peppermint
Posted by Ray (Boston, Ma) on 12/17/2013
★★★★★
Can you add Peppermint to the cold sore remedy list? I know it works.
EC: Hi Ray, do you mean peppermint oil or lip balm with peppermint?
Acetone
Posted by Maria (NJ ) on 05/04/2022
ME TOO! What is it with the RETIN-A!!
Avoid Orange, Grapefruit, and Cranberry Juices
Posted by Timauthee (Dallas, Tx) on 09/04/2013
★★★★★
Cold Sores: Tried ALL of the home remedies, drugs and L Lysine for prevention..... Nothing worked. Read on the genital herpes site that Orange, Grapefruit and Cranberry Juice causes outbreaks. Past years would have on average of 8 major occurrences per year. Stopped drinking these juices and had 1 minor occurrence in the past 2 years (side-note, the last two years have been anything but stressless so its not due to a low stress levels).
Honey
Posted by Garion (New York, Ny) on 05/04/2013
★★★★☆
Honey usually works when I catch the cold sore during that "tingling" stage. But, just recently I think the sun did me in and 2 days later I broke out. I could fill my lip getting swollen and irritated and see it being red but I was at work and didn't have the honey available. I got home and did the honey but by the next day, full on blisters. I was applying the honey but it was too late. And the cold sore is now progressing thru the states.
So, for honey to work, for me, I need to catch it right at the tingling stage. Or else it seems it's too late.
