Cold Sore Relief: Top Natural Remedies

I get mild outbreaks on my upper lip. The minute I feel a tingle on my lip I apply 3% hydrogen peroxide on my lip. Allow the peroxide to set in for awhile. I then cut a fresh clove of garlic and apply to my lip. This burns like h@$$ for about 10 seconds. The peroxide and garlic causes my lips feel a bit dry so rather than using lip gloss/ balm I apply pure vitamin E oil or coconut oil on my lips. That has stopped me from having any major outbreaks.

Last week I was under a tremendous amount of stress and ended up with a huge sore on my lip. I awoke with it and immedietly started applying Acetone several times a day. It was all dry within 2 days. I am now dealing with the dry scab but never had any pain or discomfort. My husband was very upset when he saw my lip cause he isn't allowed to kiss me while I am healing. It usually takes me a couple weeks to heal. Needless to say he is very happy with the fact it only took two days to go away. I will definitely be letting others know how to get rid of their sores also.

It's good getting rid of cold sore pain so quick but wish could get rid of scab quick as well anybody help with that?

Acetone works but best is abreva and campho phenique which is over the counter at the drug store. Right when it starts tingling and getting red... Put on the campho and then slather on the abreva and it will barely come out... but you gotta catch it right away just carry it with you cause it's always unexpected.

I have a cold sore and apply acetone nail polisher remover and it made it worst! Not only is it larger but it look like a open flesh wound! Now I'm using Campho Phenique and it's drawing out all the pus. This doesn't work for everyone.

Eat flounder weekly and u will never have an OB again. In the meantime focus on changing your diet to get cure. I am living proof of flounder while I work on cure. Read my post how to prepare. Look for "flounder".

A canker sore is not the same thing as a cold sore. Nor does it have the same cause.

I don't get cold sores often enough to realize what's happening until it's too late. I had dry lips one day and the next day awoke with a pea size sore on the outside of upper and lower lip. I immediately put Releev on as directed on the package for one day. The next day my lips were visably swollen and the cold sore quater-size. Plus, the sore now extended into my mouth. Everywhere I read online said once a cold sore moves inside your mouth you have to take anti-viral drugs to get rid of them. I wasn't about to do that. So I began gargling with hydrogen peroxide. It bubbled a lot, but I noticed no difference after one day so I began gargling with a solution I got in part from this site: 1oz warm filtered water, 3oz hydrogen peroxide, 1tbsp baking soda, 1tbsp sea salt, and two drops Lugols iodine. I also put the solution on a spoon and held it to my sore. I let the sore air dry, trying to keep my mouth open to dry out the sore inside my mouth too. Once it was dry, I dapped tea tree oil both inside and outside. I did this as often as I could throughout the day (maybe every 2 hours), as I still had to go to work. By the next day my swelling reduced and it felt like it was on the mend. By the 5th day, it was just a scab and in 7 days it was completely gone. I would have liked it to be gone sooner, but I feel like one week was a good healing time for such an intense cold sore.

I used aloe vera for my cold sore once before and the swelling was gone and my sore was completely gone in 3 days.

Most importantly, I have learnt that if I stress out about herpes or anything, my sores are worse and occur more often.

I take 2000 mg L-Lysine when I get an outbreak or tingle. It can prevent them for a few days and sometimes I never develop them at all.

I avoid any foods with baking soda/powder, salt, sugar, yeast. These foods really stress out my immune system and make me more susecptable to breakouts. I eliminated them from my diet and now only break out 1-2 times a year at most. I'm a strict vegan as well which also helps my immune health.

My system for treating outbreaks:

I wash and then cover sore in Abreva. Then I cover with it with New Skin, a liquid bandage. It's nice and stress free. It tingles and smells like herbs and I don't have to worry about infecting others or other parts of my body.

Every morning and night I wash the sore and hold a cotton pad with a mixture of cold camomille tea, tea tree oil and rubbing alcohol on it for a minute or two. I then pat dry with a tissue and cover with New Skin. In a week, for sure, the sore will be completely gone.

With regards to herpes, coconut oil fixes it by stripping the protective lipid coating on the virus. The Apple cider vinegar will collapse it at the tingling stage, as it forms, applied topicaly. It might even clear it out over time. Coconut oil is sure, but with ACV I guess with its coating stripped the ACV cleans it faster than the immune system. The dose is three teaspoons per day for a couple of months to clear the body of the virus. But it's nice in smoothies.

3 teaspoons a day regarding the Colloidal silver? How do you know this? Did you cure your herpes? If you don't mind me asking..

I have herpes simplex 1 on my genitalia and on my mouth and some have popped up randomly. Overall it has been mild but I too feel like it has stopped me from living my life fully the idea of never knowing when it's active for sure and the possiblity of transmitting it is terrifying to me. I tried to take the meds the clinic gave acyclovier.. Can't afford valtrex but it made unable to sleep or eat and I started feeling down right on the edge. My nervous system was shot. I stopped taking it and started taking l lysine, garic pills, but have noticed better luck with raw garic, vit c, echinechia/goldenseal, oxide coloidial silver the smallest particle form I ingest it in tincture form and I have a topical spray I use. I tried a salve of colloidal silver aloe and tea tree but I don't know how well any of it works yet. I've had this for going on three months and I have had three total breakouts but the recovery time has gotten alot better I know there are triggers: booze, sugar, coffee, choc- booze seems to be the worst. I want to cure this!! I have been reading about Zinc as a possible topical way to kill the virus if kept on continually during an outbreak. Has anyone had any luck with this?.. I am wondering if the coconut oil is best topical and ingested as with the apple cider vinegar?

Get some powdered licorice root. Put it in DMSO and let sit for several days. Then apply that DMSO to the lower back. Don't do this for more than a couple weeks as Glycyrrhizic Acid will raise cortisol levels. Do not take DMSO internally. If you wish to try to take the licorice internally then make a tea out of it and consume it AFTER first consuming fresh grapefruit juice. The grapefruit juice will inactivate an enzyme that would hydrolyze the Glycyrrhizic Acid. Once again, do not do this for more than a couple weeks as it will raise cortisol levels and that in turn will raise your blood pressure.

Do you know if it's bad to use it with regular filtered water?

Have to say after trying over the counter things, muipricin, benzoil peroxide, peroxide, alcohol, salt water, and over the counter cold sore treatments for the past week nothing has worked. I came on line this morning and I saw people trying nail polish remover. I was willing to try it anything to get rid of this. I have had to take pain relievers where the pain of this was outrageous and even they didn't work. I have covered the sore with a bandaid it didn't work. This is the first sign of relief in over a week.

I get these cold sores everytime I try to wear lipstick or lip balm if it's not made of lysine never again. For my birthday for pictures I put lipstick on not thinking it would create a huge problem- it did. So now I am trying to get rid of this before Christmas. These are miserable and embarrassing so I am giving this a try and if it works then I am sticking to it.

Hi Ted, I have HSV1 and 2. I just started using baking soda and citric acid, stabilized oxygen and little coconut oil in warm water. How long do I use citric acid and baking soda for? Is it safe to use coconut oil, since I am concerned about blocked arteries. I do it twice a day. I also take FGHP every other day now since I do not want to mis too much stuff. I take 4 lecithin cap daily. Thanks alot! Just started 1st week october 2011.

I've never had a cold sore. Takes less then 2 weeks to heal but this time it took about 5. I felt a cold sore starting one day, I left it alone, it seemed to go away but once I shaved my face to have a night out and drank a snapple and the artificial sweetener irritated it and I felt it grow the whole night. The next morning I woke up an it was right in the center of my top lip. I was so pissed, but I remembered stress doesn't help so I took a couple deep breaths and tried to not let it get to me. I did research and I bought nail polish removal, hydrogen peroxide, vitamin c pills and neosporin overnight lip renewal cream. I took a vitamin c pill every morning.

Then every hour and a half I dipped a qtip in the peroxide then the acetone and dabbed it on the outbreak, until I was about to go to bed. Right before I went to bed I used a qtip to put the over night lip renewal cream and repeat. I also watched what I ate, I love greasy and spicy food. But this week I ate healthy and drank nothing but water. Other research I found was the L-lysine pills. I read stories of people not getting an outbreak for 15 years from taking vitamin c and l-lysine pills everyday. I just ordered them this week hopefully I'll never have a outbreak again. It's the most embarrassing thing to ever go through. I hope this post helps someone out there. Just know, you're not alone and don't stress it.

I have herpes symplex 1. I started having outbreaks a few months ago and have been struggling with reocurring mild outbreaks on my face and a few randoms I think I had one on my arm.. So far I use alba green clay mask when I feel the tingling start and it has stopped outbreaks and in the case of already formed bumps it has reduced then so significantly.. I just keep the clay dabbed on when there is tingling before I go out and all night or when im home. It cleared them in about 5 day and kept them from looking noticable.. This in conjunction with raw fresh garlic in every meal and vit c and lysine.. Hope the clay tip will be of some use I had heard white clay was the best to use but I tried the green since that's what I had and it was very helpful.

I was looking up info online about the herb Cha de bugre, also called The Brazillian Energizer. I was surprised to read that it has been used for the treatment of herpes virus. I have had cold sores on my nose and lips several times a year since childhood. I am 43 years old. People who don't get cold sores can't always understand how embarassing and miserable it can make you feel. I bought a bottle of 500 mg capsules (Cordia salicfolia Cham) (10:1 concentrate) and have been taking them 1-3 times daily. This has really worked for me! I still also take lysine once or twice every day. I am very impressed with this supplement, although I don't notice it giving me much of an energizing effect, that's ok. It's also used for weight loss among other things. I will keep taking this every day and make sure I never run out of it. Thank you God for healing herbs and for Earth Clinic!

Hi, I am in this same situation and after reading blogs, I have just begun to use neem (liquid), lecithin(capsule), stabilized oxyen and 4 dropd FGHP( 35% food grade hydrogen Peroxide) once daily. I will keep you posted. I do not get cold sores at all since I put Abreva daily on lips especially where there is always a feel that it would come up. I will keep you posted, but I am determined to kill this thing. I have done a full body clease and have changed my diet. The things I am using have claimed to heal some people. Will get tests next year if there is no signs of it.

I couldn't believe it till I tried it. I started drinking 20 drops twice a day religiously plus DMSO cream to previously affected areas five times a day for five days out of each month. I haven't seen not even a scar since. It's amazing how much this site helped because I thought there was no cure for this!!!! Well, If it's not cured it certainly is really really diminished.

Aloe Vera is a great natural remedy to try during an outbreak. While I couldn't find much research on the effects of taking Aloe supplements, they do supress other types of viruses and might be useful for herpes. Aloe gels and creams can heal sores quickly (a few days) and prevent infection. Studies have shown that compounds in Aloe disable the functioning of both type 1 and 2 and strengthen the body's immune response. For more info on how to treat herpes naturally, visit: http://www.aloeplant.info/aloe-viruses/

So far this seems to be the best method for open sores. Within minutes the peeled scab rebuilt itself. I've been waiting for the soft white and pink tissue to correct itself all day. It's now brown red. The developing spot seems unaffected though.

The other methods I used scabbed overnight but instead pushed the cold sore closer inside my mouth. It's like the virus figured out what I was doing and picked a new spot.

To Lea from Waterford, Mi... Yes, you need to take Monolaurin (coconut oil supplement) with ionic silver to cure herpes or any other virus (HIV, mono, HepC). Monolaurin destroys the lipid envelope around the viral cell deactivating it, also allowing the ionic silver to enter the infected cell killing it and all the other infected cells forever. This will work, just don't give up. Take both everyday, shouldn't take longer than a month. You can tell/feel when the virus is gone from your body. Blessings/Healings to everyone!!

I'm intrigued by this "cure".... I've heard of colloidal silver and HIV and the effects of lauricidin on many health issues. I don't have or suspect I have HIV, but I do have cold sores (very infrequent) and would like a permanent solution. I will do more research but this is insanely great news if true. Where did your research come from? Has someone you've known been cured? Thanks!

If you take monolaurin understand it will get worse before it gets better. It will erupt and scab over within 24 hrs. So it's not a remedy that will suppress the early stage for those who want to hide.

Once it erupts hydrogen peroxide will help exfoliate and bubble the skin. Acetone will help dry it up.

Make sure your colloidal product is made with deionized water not tap water so you are not ingesting large particles that isn't good for you, and is yellowish in color. I find that spraying the silver on the face kills the offending pathogen (virus/bateria) better, rather than ingesting.

Another thumbs up for ACV - started to feel the tingle of fever blister and applied ACV on a cotton pad. Did this for 5 or 10 minutes a twice a day for two days. While there was a small, unnoticable eruption, there was nothing like the usual cycle of blistering and then 5-7 recovery/drying out.

Apples for cold sores. I just wanted to share this with folks. I have suffered from cold sores since a child and I am in my 50s now. I have had that tingle happen under my skin for so many years, I just know I only have a few minutes to get something to stop the onset of sores. I had an apple on my table and cut a small slice from it in a disc shape. I placed the piece on the tingle and held it there for about five minutes. I was careful not to use the same spot of the apple slice on the tingle. I moved it around until I had used every little inch of the apple slice. I then used a baby wipes that had aloe vera in it, and then patted it dry with paper tissue. I then applied a store bought cream (it cost me $14) that had aloe vera in it.

I repeated this procedure if I still felt the tingle was still there, but by the second slice of apple and then wiping with tissue and applying cream, the tingle had already begun to subside. To my amazement, it never went beyond the tingle. I did this before I went to bed, and when I woke there was no tingle, and no cold sore. I was so amazed and overjoyed, I wondered if it was just a coincidence.

About a week later, I felt that familiar tingle again, so I grabbed another apple (I had eaten the rest of the first one) and did the same little cold sore thing. And again, the tingle stopped. I am so amazed that it was as simple as that. For over 45 years I have suffered with these cold sores and this is the ONLY TIME that I have had them disappear without going beyond a the tingle stage. So now I have a little kit for my cold sore treatment which I carry with me in the car or in my bag. I have an apple (buy a bag of them while you are at it, ha ha), a box of tissues, some baby wipes with aloe vera in it and any cream with aloe vera in it. I have oily skin so I have moisturising cream with aloe vera in it. When you cut a slice of apple, it need not be a big chunky piece. I cut mine thin enough to hold with my fingers and it need not be a huge slice. If you cut a big hunk, you will waste the rest of the precious apple in that chunk. Slice only enough to use like a wedge to cover the tingle area. I put these in a plastic container with a lid on it, so that I carry them with me everywhere, in the car or in my bag, because you never know when a tingle will start.

I have a lot of stress in my life at times and this is when the tingle starts. You can even do this while you are on the bus - discreetly of course. I think there is some merit in apple cider juice and apples in general. I have spent years buying creams and gels to no avail. I have scars on my face from cold sores so I am trialing a procedure using Vit E caps and Multi vitamins with minerals capsules, and also Cod Liver Oil Caps.

I will keep you posted and let you know how I am getting on with treating the very visible cold sore scars that have ruined my face (in my opinion) and made me feel at times like a recluse. Please try it, it is so simple, it makes me want to run and tell everyone about it, but of course, only sufferers like you and me know what it is truly like. So cheer up and go and try it, and be amazed. By the way, stress always brings on my cold sores, and low Vit C intake. I do know that these trigger them and my doctor is forever telling me to chill out and eat more fruit, ha ha. So I hope you find some success with this treatment. Regards Chuckles

Hi, its chuckles again. I just wanted to add that you don't need to carry around sliced apples in your little container. Just carry an apple, and wrap it in that clingy clearwrap stuff. You just need to take a little vegetable knife (with a short blade about 3 inches long) into your container, to slice the apple slices when you need them. If you don't use the apple for a week, well you can eat it as a treat for not having a cold sore that week, haha. But seriously, always have apples around the house in a bowl or in the fridge. If you don't always have them, go to the supermarket or vegetable shop if you feel that tingle coming on, and buy just a single apple. That one apple has so much goodness in it, view it as if it were gold. The apple will keep for at least two weeks if it is fresh. I kept my apple for a week, and just sliced it when I needed it again. Wrap it in clingwrap after you have cut slices from it. Don't keep it any longer than 10 ten days, just eat it, haha. So into your little kit of cold sore tools, put a little vegetable knife, an apple wrapped in clingwrap, baby wipes that have aloe vera, tissues for wiping skin, and cream with aloe vera in it. Oh by the way, all of us cold sore sufferers know how infectious a cold sore can be, so take special care to keep your fingers and hands clean and dry when treating your tingling skin.

SO JUST TO RECAP ON HOW TO TREAT YOUR TINGLING SKIN THAT SIGNALS THE ONSET OF A COLD SORE: Slice a small wedge of apple from your apple, and place it on the tingly area of your skin. Hold it there for a few seconds. With your fingers, take a unused piece of your apple slice and place it on the tingling area. Hold it there for a minute. Again, find another unused part of your apple slice and place it on the tingling area and hold it there. Do this again until you have used all the unused parts of your apple slice - hold it on the tingling area. You only need this one apple slice to do this first bit. It is amazing! This should take only five minutes or so. Take a baby wipe and wipe the area clean. Then pat this area dry with a few tissues. Apply a small amount of the cream to the area. Use the baby wipes to wipe your hands and fingers after treating your tingling skin. Dry your hands with clean tissues and that is all you need to do. Re-wrap your apple in the clingwrap and wipe the vege knife with a babywipe and dry off with a tissue. Put these back into your little kit with the cream, tissues and baby wipes. You will be amazed at the results in a few hours time.

Treat your cold sore regime as if you had asthma. Most asthmatics have a regime that they follow to manage their asthma, and cold sore sufferers must do the same thing. I did this before I went to bed. When I woke up there was no cold sore, and the same thing happened a week later when I had that tingling feeling. The key is to start your regime as soon as you feel the tingling. As you can see, there is very little effort involved. Just vigilance and having all of your cold sore kit on hand for the next outbreak. I must also say that I do not know how this regime would work on full blown cold sores. Someone may want to try this method to see if it works on full blown cold sores, but if you use this method as soon as you feel that tingling sensation, you shouldnt be bothered by those nasty cold sores again. Kind regards, Chuckles

With herpies, unfortunately, even if you do not feel the symptoms I understand that the virus can still "shed."

This is especially important for a pregnant woman who actively has the virus at the time of delivery... The baby passing through the birth canal, I. E. , natural birth, can result in blindness and other horrific health problems for the baby.

As much as I wanted and planned to have a natural birth I opted to have a "C" section in order to insure that the virus didn't adversely affect my babies health... no regrets...

This is for Morganism54 from Granite Bay, California who said: "Just want to make it clear to everyone you can't get rid of herpes.... It goes into dormancy or recede into the skin to the original place of infection... " My question is: if herpes outbreaks happen at the place of infection, why does he state that "genital herpes tends to habitate at the base of the spine"? Thanks to all who can enlighten me on this.

Herpes is a virus that you can draw out of the cells and dissolve. My doctor believes there are cures for all illnesses, even if it hasn't been discovered yet. I read herpes is cured by MMS. I would consider a zapper. I read that a cure was found for a serious illness and suddenly the rights purchased and mysteriously the cure is poof gone never to surface.