Cold Sores
Natural Remedies

Cold Sore Relief: Top Natural Remedies

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.


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.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Faith (Jamaica) on 10/15/2006
★★★★★

Just want to join in singing the praises of Hydrogen Peroxide (HP). I presented with vaginal ulcers. I call then that because even thought they looked like herpes i tested negative for the disease - so i really don't know what i had. However i visited your site and decided to try the HP topically to my genital bumps and.......almost immediate relief from the itching and soreness! and the bumps disappeared within three days or so. So i just wanted to add my little bit and thanks you for your great website! U can feel free to publish this on the site.


Neem Leaves or Oil
Posted by Marie (FL) on 09/25/2006
★★★★★

A couple years ago the doctor said i had HSV I have a friend who believes in a lot of natural remedies, she told me of Neem leaves she said it cleared up her HPV and she did research that showed it is toxic to certain viruses. I have taken neem and can tell you it does work. Either it really masks the virus from being transmitted or from having outbreaks. since taking it there has been no outbreaks. I have been doing research online and a lot of sites say that it is indeed toxic to the hsv virus. I believe there is a cure out there that they don't want us to know about and i think neem is one of them.


Hydrogen Peroxide and DMSO
Posted by Nancy (Phoenix, AZ)
★★★★★

I haven't tried this remedy yet but am and will keep you posted as soon as I find out the results...The remedy is DMSO and Hydrogen peroxide from a book called Never an Outbreak by William Fharel. This combo is supposed to kill the herpes virus in your body where it lays dormant ... so you NEVER break out again... I have had cold sores for years and those remedies with just the hydrogen peroxide or just some other remedy putting it on the cold sore and trying to stop the virus once it starts a break out doesn't work... I have tried everything there is but the DMSO and Hydrogen peroxide... According to the book, you will never get another break out again. That is a cure... not just getting rid of the lesions but the virus from your body totally...He also discusses that this also gets rid of the mole virus...yeah, I didn't know moles were viruses but I have them all over... Anyway, it is worth looking into... I welcome feedback from anyone who has done the DMSO and hydrogen peroxide therapy.

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.


Acetone
Posted by beverly (USA) on 10/29/2023

Acetone is not the safest chemical in the world so I would use a q tip so as to target the sore better rather than a cotton ball.

acetonefaq.pdf (delaware.gov)


Bleach
Posted by Corrina (AB) on 01/09/2022
★★★★★

I do this as well. In fact I started feeling the tingle around 2 this morning. Dabbed a cotton swab with bleach before I went to bed and held it on the very tip of each blister (there were 3 starting) for about 30 seconds each. Did it again around noon (when I woke up) and now it is just after 6pm and all that's left is a tiny mark from the slightly bigger blister and the other 2 are completely gone.

I just make sure I'm SUPER careful about allowing the tip of the swab to touch ONLY the blister so the skin around it doesn't burn.


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!


Apple Cider Vinegar, Clay
Posted by Sheel (New York, Ny) on 07/08/2016
★★★★★

I just experience an amazing recovery from a recurring cold sore. In the past I have used garlic and tried acetone topically, but I noticed that moisture always exacerbated the sore for example taking a shower would be terrible. This time I figured I would dry the heck out of it so I tried using a clay mask mixed with an equal amount of ACV on my developing cold sore. I did it two times a day for two days now and slept with it on my lip overnight and the cold sore completely skipped it's "exploding with pus" stage, dried up and is healing. I hope you try this, it really worked amazingly well for me.


Colloidal Silver and Aloe Vera
Posted by Rianne (Canada) on 03/27/2016
★★★★★

I woke up one morning with a large "cauliflower" cold sore on my upper lip. I could also feel that it was sore and still growing. I broke out my colloidal silver gel (1:1 mixture of aloe vera gel and 10 ppm colloidal silver), and was amazed to watch it shrink to nothing in 4 he's, with repeated applications of a small amount of the gel! It usually requires a 7 day healing time. wow! I have found my answer to my cold sores now. Thank you, Earth Clinic, for everything I've learned here for I had never even heard of Colloidal silver before this site. Thank you again.


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.


DMSO
Posted by Melisa (Texas, Houston) on 10/18/2015
★★★★★

Fever Blisters:

I wanted to add my experience using DMSO helped me. I just clean my lips with hydrogen peroxide with a qtip then I apply DMSO with another q-tip leave it on for a few mins or untill it dries then I rinse with water n add olive oil for moisture. I used to get them every month before since I started I havent gotten them anymore for months now. I'ts great.


Acetone
Posted by Sabrina (Toronto, Canada) on 11/26/2014
★★★★★

OMG!!! God bless the founder of this miracle. I AM ABSOLUTELY GRATEFUL IT WORKS. I woke up yesterday to the most disturbing painful sore on my lip. I used a warm green tea bag every 3 hours and pressed it against the cold sore for about 20 minutes. Later in the evening using a cotton swab I applied 100% pure Tea Tree Oil. (Please dilute with equal drops of water if you have sensitive skin) I searched the web for another home remedy and stumbled across this blog. To my surprise using the acetone for 5 minutes every 30 minutes dried up the remainder of the sore almost immediately. I felt the burning sensation but it was worth it. Thank you for this magical remedy.


Acetone
Posted by Mia (Formerly Of Lyons, Now Syracuse) on 12/17/2013
★★★★★

I have been using Retin-A for wrinkles. Problem is that everytime I use it, I break out in a cold sore. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I am sick of it and was driven to try the nail polish thing again so I bought some today because taking L-Lysine wasn't touching this one. My lip was so swollen it wasn't funny. Then, another started to pop out in a different after I started to use the nail polish.

I had to use it more than a couple times. I have been putting it on with a cotton bud every hour or so by dabbing it until the cotton ball dries out . I haven't just let it sit there for five minutes because I don't really want to breathe the fumes in. So I dab it, breathe, dab it, etcetera until it dries out and then I do it again a bit later when the thing tries to moisten back up.

It is working because I am diligently attacking it.

The thing is already crusting over after one day and normally it would take five days to get this stage. I will definitely keep putting the acetone on until it is all dried up and gone.

I am also taking L-Lysine, which wasn't really working that well, along with Vitamin C. I am planning to continue to do both as a daily preventative.

Gluten-Free Diet, L-Lysine
Posted by Searching For Health (North Of The Border) on 08/06/2013
★★★★★

I have gotten cold sores for approximately 7 years. They started spreading all over my lips - but the ones that were new were not tingling like they originally did and came without warning. I was taking so much aciclovir and valciver. Then... I got exceedingly itchy blisters on my fingers, followed by unbelievable swelling in that finger. The pain is intense and the itchiness – OMG! (Apple cider vinegar helped alleviate these side effects - Thanks to you on Earth Clinic) I had a bout of this on my fingers for 4 months. I could not use my hands. I thought it was herpes whitlow. What cleared it up was when I was on a diet of only rice with fried vegetables – no flavorings or soy sauce added. The problem cleared up in about 5 days! Both my fingers and lips. Simultaneously, I had a brain fog clear up and anxiety that had been thwarting me for about 2 years. I then found out I am completely unable to eat Gluten. I guess the rash thing is a form of Dermatitis Herpetiformis (NOT HERPES! ) which is a consequence of not being able to tolerate gluten. (I still got the original and authentic Herpes cold sore that tingles - but it comes much less often as I take Lysine daily and it seems to come less often now that my body is not fighting the "poison" that I was eating previously). Before I had that authentic cold sore almost every 2 weeks. I am also unable to have most additives to food, and food that is GMO or treated with pesticides. For the last 3 months I have been strictly eating only at and home and it has stayed clear. I eat 100% organic, gluten free and no longer eat packaged food.



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