Fast Cold Sore Remedies: What Really Works Naturally

Dietary Recommendations

Posted by Shandra (Sacramento, CA) on 06/10/2007
★★★★★

About seven years ago I dated a guy who came with a prize, undisclosed to me! Within the first month I was breaking out. The first time was the worst; I experienced pain like no other, I quickly proceeded to visit my doctor who wasted no time to diagnose me with this lovely virus. I was getting large embarrassing blisters round my mouth at least 4-5 times a year and I would have genital outbreaks about 10 times a year... I seriously went into depression, gained weight and stopped having a life. I was embarrassed knowing that I could never address the issue with a potential counterpart and of course I could not be irresponsible, as the guy who was irresponsible with me. What have I done? How have things changed in my life? Well number one, I started a regular exercise program. I run 3-4 times a week. I topped eating processed meals - (no restaurants, no fast food, no packages, no cans, no boxes, and no microwave popcorn, nothing out of a package, nothing frozen). So what am I eating? I eat fruits all day, until I gag. I eat Vegetables all day, until I gag. I eat oats and whole wheat, in the form of "old fashioned oatmeal", "wheat bread" 'brown rice", you get the picture. I eat meat two to three times a week, mostly chicken and once or twice a month I eat fish. I keep beef to a minimum. I eat a variety of mixed nuts. . these are RAW nuts . almonds, peanuts with skin, cashews, sunflower, flax seed, pumpkin seed . you get the idea. I stopped drinking wine, coffee, tea and I stopped smoking. I drink water all day long, till I gag. I drink 8oz of milk daily and I drink home made smoothies and juices and vegetable juice. I take prenatal vitamins (I am not pregnant). Since, I am a girl and I have sugar cravings. guess what. there is honey. I use natural honey on toast, on my Oatmeal, in my milk.you get the idea.

I try to exclude white table sugar, white table salt, white flour, sodium, cholesterol, fats. But I don't count the natural sugars in fruits and the oils in the nuts. The only thing I really track is my protein intake; I try to make sure I have enough protein daily. (Protein is balanced according to ones height, weight, gender, activity level)

Since I started paying attention to my body, eating what my body needs, dinking what my body needs and taking all the vitamins that my body needs: I have not had an outbreak in over one year. ALSO, I have lost weight, I feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life. At 43, I feel that I am in GREAT shape! Of course I still need to overcome my fears of having a difficult conversation with the possibility of a rejection, which is something I will have to live with the rest of my life.

This seems to work for me. If you would like to try something similar please consult your doctor prior to making any changes in your diet. Good luck!

Triggers

Posted by Leslie (Philadelphia, PA) on 05/24/2007
★★★★★

I have always noted that body temperature changes cause my oral herpes cold sores to flare up. Tanning beds, vacations to warm areas, having a fever, or exposure to sudden drops/increases in the weather have caused outbreaks within days. I now skip the tanning, and avoid being outside in extreme hot or cold weather.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Lee (Salem, NH) on 03/17/2007
★★★★★

I have always used hydrogen peroxide for skin infections, insect bites, cankers, cold sores & deleting blood stains. Results are quick & inexpensive. I dab it on my finger, straight from the bottle, to apply to a cold sore or canker. I have never had a cold sore for more than a day. When I was a teenager, I also applied some to any pimples that might crop up.

Tinactin (Foot Spray)

Posted by Wellington (Quincy, WA) on 01/14/2007
★★★★★

I used this product called "Tinactin" (its an athletes foot spray) I used it for 3 days morning and night .I sprayed it on and let it dry,(I used it because Tinactin has an anti itch medicine in it )after the 3rd day the blisters were gone and i have not had an out break for about 1 year.

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.

Vitamin A

Posted by Sara (Houston, Texas)
★★★★★

Break open a vitamin A capsule and apply. I've tried everything. This helps me prevent a full blown outbreak. I get the virus on my nose!

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Jenny (Toronto)
★★★★★

I use organic tea tree oil on my lips when I get the beginnings of an outbreak and it is gone within 24-36 hours. (i apply 3-4x/day).

also, an acidic body will give you an outbreak quickly. Look into the acid alkaline balance. Cheese and coffee does it for me every time.

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.

Acetone

Posted by KK (Cyprus) on 02/18/2025
★★★★★

Acetone works...but cautiously

Been dealing with this regularly for 30 years.. ended up with acetone dabbed on with earbuds.

Initially kept it on until the burns. Now I'm not sure if a lot of the scabbing that follows is due to the coldsore healing itself, or actual acetone burns.

Will keep using it. Maybe cautiously to avoid damage to surrounding areas, which may actually take longer to heal.

Colloidal Copper

Posted by Kathy (Grandville, MI) on 05/12/2024
★★★★★

Herpes cold sore

Dabbing colloidal copper on the cold sore stops the cold sore from ever breaking out.

Oregano Oil

Posted by crystal (TX) on 02/14/2024
★★★★★

Oil of oregano heals fever blisters within days. I actually put the oil in the wound itself and then take 300 mg twice daily.

Ear Wax

Posted by Sandy (Chapel Hill, NJ) on 11/23/2022
★★★★★

Ear wax 100% works and I'm so glad I found this remedy. The key is to get to it early and it will stop it from every getting visible. But even if you miss the early stages and wake up with one, ear wax still drastically cuts down how long its around. I find, now that I know this, the max a cold sore will be around for me is 48-72 hours and usually they aren't noticeable at all. The only unfortunate thing with this remedy is you're likely to not have/produce enough ear wax to apply ear wax multiple times.

L-Lysine and Vitamin C

Posted by Aviva (Tel Aviv (Gosh Dan)) on 11/16/2022
★★★★★

I came up with the tingling feeling of a cold sore. There it was. on my upper lip. I took 4 grams Lysine per day + natural vitamin C 4000 mg per day and put some coconut oil on the blister. It stopped growing and tingling immediately and the blister began drying quickly. Now it is the 3rd day and only a wound remained.

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)

Ketchup

Posted by Whathadhappendedwas (Florida) on 07/07/2022
★★★★★

I usually get the big cold sores that make your lip look like a balloon. It sucks. I was eating spaghetti and noticed the sauce made my lip fill better. Did a search about tomato sauce and herpes to see if there was others who tried or used it. Came across a video that said to use ketchup. It was a boring video but decided to try it...Ole family recipe or something. Anyways grabbed some ketchup and put it on my lips. Guess I know what lipstick feels like. I don't know. I put a lot of ketchup on and just started watching a movie. It tingled a little, more uncomfortable I guess. But I left it on and after about 44 minutes I could feel a cluster in the back of my jaw get zapped. Not really sure how else to explain it. Provided relied though. Provided relief for the swollen lip too. Felt like it was working and decided to put a fresh batch and leave it on all night.

Woke up the next morning and it wasn't swollen anymore. Already formed scabs and started healing. Few days later my lip was back to normal. For the healing, I put Abreva on. I typically get blisters from the sun. Haven't had any in a couple months. Might be my new go to as Apple Cider Vinegar sucks. Ketchup is everywhere! Won't hurt to try. Says to use it at the tingle stage to prevent them too.