Liz (Hudson Valley, New York) on 11/12/2009:
Better But With Side Effects
I had a canker sore that was at the peak of inflammation and pain and I decided to try putting Alum on it last night as recommended here to stop the pain. I bought the crystallized kind from the spice section of the grocery store and licked my finger, dabbed it it the alum and then dabbed it on the sore and let it sit/dry/sink in for 5 minutes. OH MY GOD - it hurt like nobody's business which I could tolerate, but then for the next hour it made my entire jaw, neck and ear area throb with terrible pain which I could not tolerate. I ended up taking pain relievers and going to bed several hours early just to stop the pain with sleep. I have not been in such agonizing pain for many years. It felt like a migraine and an earache and a toothache all at once.
However, today my canker sore has been very tender but noticeably less painful (i've also been on pain meds all day because I'm a bit scarred by what happened last night). The sore also seems to be healing. I honestly am not sure if I can recommend the alum or not, given the positive effects today and the horrible effects last night.
Man0fsteel (Redondo Beach, Ca, USA) on 11/07/2009:
Okay, so I get canker sores every so often, esp. when I don't get enough sleep. This particular monster sore on my lower lip started when I severely bit into my lower lip TWICE on the same spot a week ago. No signs of healing. And they usually do after a week. Not this one. So someone suggested Alum. A quick search online brings me here where there is a lot of positive feedback. So I put the Alum on and like the above post, the pain is pretty intense. Tears are leaking involuntarily out of my eyes. 5 minutes go by and I rinse it off. It's now about 30 min after and the sore feels like it's twice the previous size. Totally swollen. And it's throbbing like no tomorrow. If it gets better, I'll be shocked, but I will report if it does in the morning. View Entire Thread
Kathleen (Newport Beach, Ca) on 10/09/2009:
Ok! When I'm stressed I bite the inside of my mouth. Yuck!! I know! This can lead to the MOTHER of all canker sores. My dear friend just told me to dab alum into the canker sore, hold the affected area out so it can settle into canker sore and not be washed away by saliva. Let me explain. What I have going is a flipping cluster of sores( 12 in total. SERIOUSLY!!) A few are about 1/4 x 3/8. No I'm not joking. So I apply the alum out of desperation. I'm in constant pain, my lips aren't working. Drool is running down my chin(SEXY right?) AND i CAN'T eat. Ok the alum feels like flipping battery ACID. I want to rip half my face off. Who cares that it tastes viley bitter-it REALLY hurts. It does not sting. Serious PAIN. After about 20 minutes half my lower jaw is numb. Thank God!!! It feels a little swollen. I look in the mirror and honest to God it looks like I've just had half of my mouth pumped up with whatever that crap is that make you look like a freak of nature! I live in newport beach-the land of the plastic fantastic. Please tell me that this will subside and I won't look like a middle aged woman having a midlife crisis and a budget to only cover half the job! Frickin' Y-I-K-E-S !!!!!!!!
Ben (Rochester, NY) on 01/30/2009:
Yes to Using Alum found at the grocery store in the spices section. I read the comments about canker sores on here. Thank God for nice people! Apply it with a wet Q-tip on Sore. It will sting but the after effects are worth it! Thanksabunch
Sid (Salmon Arm, BC, Canada) on 01/18/2009:
Warning
Alum is a form of aluminum. Oral injestion of aluminum can cause canker sores. Do you really want to do that? The reason it works may be the same reason that the mercuric ointment my mom used to put on my rashes ( I later found out that I was mercury toxic) got rid of my rash. Apparently, it makes it go deeper into your body, thereby getting rid of the eruption on the surface.
EC: More about this here: http://www.ochef.com/1080.htm
Saskia (Takoma Park, MD, USA) on 10/06/2008:
I had started taking apple cider vinegar twice a day, and after two days noticed the beginning of a canker sore. It didn't hurt yet, so I checked this site, then went out and got some Alum in the grocery store. I did as someone else suggested and wetted my finger, then dipped it into the alum, and then held it on the canker sore for about 5 minutes. Because I caught my canker sore so early, it didn't really sting at all.I did that twice the first day, and again twice on the second day. It never hurt at all, and it got a little larger at first, but then started receding, and now 4 days later, its basically gone! I'm so happy with the Alum cure! I used to spend a whole week in agony thinking there was no way to help it- I love this website!
Cblhris (Bloomington, IN) on 08/09/2008:
I am apparently one of those peoplt that are particularly susceptible to canker sores. I have tried many remedies, but the best by far is the alum. It stings a bit of first, but after one application the canker sore pain is gone. After two, the lesion is gone. Having used it dozens of times, I can say that if you don't mind the sting, alum is the only way to go!!
Bonnie (Magalia, California) on 07/22/2008:
Hello, I was on your sight last night and was reading your cures and remembered my Mom's.Since I currently have a huge ulcer under my tong I got out the alum(a pickeling product used to make pickles) and wet a Qtip and dabed it on everytime I thought of it for about 12 hours and my sore is gone. Good ol Mom! Not sure where you can get alum because mine is from 1965 and it still works and still tastes terrible! Hope this helps someone.
Kellye (Long Beach, CA) on 06/07/2008:
Wow, thank goodness for this website. I had been suffering for 3 days with two annoying cankers. I researched online and it seemed there was no cure or relief. I stumbled upon this website and I am happy to say with a combination of alum crystals rubbed gently on the sores followed by a light paste of aspirin, literally within 4 hrs the cankers no longer hurt and they are subsiding. Yeah! I highly recommend this combo.
Hailey (Chilliwack, Canada) on 05/14/2008:
YES alum really works! My braces will often give me canker sores. My wires would always split the canker in two AS it grows, so whenever I open my mouth it pulls on the canker. I put alum in it and the next day it had completely decreased in size and no longer hurt. After two days it was completely gone!
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