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 Baz2010 (Newburgh, Ny, Usa) on 02/01/2010
★★★★★
Last night a cold sore began to develop on my lip. I read on Earth Clinic to use hydrogen peroxide. I used cotton swabs and applied the peroxide to my lip. I did this using 5 separate swabs over a one hour period. I noticed immediate results within that hour. This morning I did the same and just did it again when I got home from work. The cold sore seems to be in its final stages and should be gone by tomorrow. I have used Abreva and saw the same results over 4-5 days. Peroxide worked for me and did so a lot faster.
Ear Wax
Posted by Jenna (Pittsburgh, Pa, Usa) on 02/01/2010
This is a crazy idea, but it is on my lips as i write this and i do feel something!! I do EVERYTHING there is: lysine, diet changes topical ointment, tea bags, ice, and annything else i can find and they always last over a week! can't wait to see how this goes, will definitely update you!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Pundon2010 (Charlotte, North Carolina) on 01/29/2010
★★★★★
On this past Monday I started to have that "tingling" feeling on my lip meaning the beginning of a cold sore breakout. By mid afternoon I was right, a huge blister in the corner of my mouth ouch!!...after reading the numerous reviews on ACV as a cold sore remedy, I decided to give it a try. On this past Tuesday went to the store an got the ACV and put some on a cotton ball. Without a moments notice the cold sore started to burn like someone had threw perm on my face!!!!...but after a few moments the burning sensation went away. About an hour later the cold sore had reduced in size. I did the same thing again before I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning the cold sore had reduced in size about 1/2 inch and had began to crack as if it was drying out already!!!!....YAY!! I thought, But to my dismay there was yet another cold sore peeking its ugly head out from beneath my lower lip. After having success with the other sore, I kept reapplying the ACV with a cotton ball 4-5 times a day for both sores for approximately 3 days. Today is Friday and I am glad to say that both sores are gone!!!!!...no more ooze and pus filled blisters..as of right now they are in the healing process, so they are scabbing over. Thanks Everyone and Earth Clinic for your wonderful tips on how to combat such an embarrassing condition!!!!..I will defintely be ready with the ACV when the next one comes!!!!!!
L-Lysine, Nail Polish Remover
Posted by Victoria (Saint Johns, Florida) on 01/29/2010
★★★★★
I get about 2-3 cold sores a year on my lips. After a attempting a few remedies, I have found the cure. Once I feel that tingling sensation I immediately take 2 capsules of L-lysine at 500mg. each. If I see a red spot coming out, I get a q-tip, dip it in nail polish remover & using the tip only, apply it with a slight pressure to that area for a few seconds until I feel a burning sensation deep within. That's how you know it's working. I repeat 2 more times that day and the next along with the L-lysine. The cold sore never even comes out. Sometimes, I've had a cold sore start at night while I'm sleeping & when I wake up, it's already painful & clearly visible. Even then, I take my L-lysine and apply the nail polish remover and it stops it in its track! It kills the virus and stops it from growing. I tell all my friends and family & it has worked on them too!
L-Lysine
Posted by Kristin (Newcastle, Ontario, Canada) on 01/20/2010
From what I remember you are only supposed to take L-lysine for up to 6 months at a time.
L-Lysine
Posted by Kaykow (Washington, Dc) on 01/19/2010
★☆☆☆☆
I've used L-Lysine and it does not work. I currently have 3 cold sores on 3 places on my bottom lip. I've been taking L-Lysine for 1 - 1 1/2 years and I still get cold sores. Unfortunately this time it was 3 at one time.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tahiti (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 01/18/2010
★☆☆☆☆
I had the exact same thing happen to me. I used it on a cold sore on my lip and a canker sore. When I used it on the canker sore, it made my lip swell really big. It did nothing for my cold sore either. What can be used to make a canker sore heal quickly and go away even more quickly?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Nyx (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 01/16/2010
Reaction to ACV?
I applied apple cider vinegar on a cold sore that was on the left side my botton lip (almost on the inner part). I did this at least every hour for a few days. I would hold it there for at least a minute each time. No reaction at all.
Then I stared to get a bump on the right side of my lower lip, but inside (on the inner part). I don't know if it's a canker sore or cold sore (I know you get canker sores in your mouth but I don't know HOW far in they have to be to not consider it a cold sore) but I put acv on it. There was also a small cut in that area from picking off dry skin. Well I applied the acv less than 10 times throughout the course of a day and that area of my lip swelled up twice it size. I also felt some pretty intense tingling. I stopped for a day and took an allergy pill and it went down. Just to see what would happen I tried applying some acv tonight and it has swelled up again.
So I put acv on the first sore MANY times and nothing happened. But when I put it on the second one it reacted? Why?
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Don (Knoxville, Tn, Usa) on 01/05/2010
★★★★☆
Red marine algae has really reduced the pain and brought on much faster healing. Using it with lysine and garlic supplements plus lysine lip salve has been a blessing.
One more thing if you can find the trigger mechanism that brings them on you can avoid many outbreaks. One of mine is apple skins or any products with apple juice in it. Another is stress.
Acetone
Posted by Lee (Phoenix, Az) on 01/05/2010
FOLLOWUP: this has been amazing! After 40 years of this: I've been using Acetone after activities that would normally guarantee cold-sores, ie hard outside work and getting windburn/sun exposure combined, and I have not had any coldsores since using this method.
Found in the Journol of Virology:
1% acetone to have a 97% reduction of replication:
http://jvi.highwire.org/cgi/reprint/9/2/251
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Tyler (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) on 12/27/2009
Started taking aspartame yesterday as a phenylalanine supplement, so I was taking a pretty significant amount, about 350mg twice a day. Today, I got a cold sore; no notice or warning (tingling or itching) or anything. I've never ingested aspartame before in my life, and don't get cold sores that often, maybe once or twice a year and it's always from too much sun. The aspartame is definitely what caused this outbreak, seeing as it's December and I'm not getting any sun at all.
I'm pissed. The companies that make and sell this sh*t should be required to put a warning on the labels regarding a link between their product and cold sores/gh outbreaks. Obviously, and I can tell from reading the responses on this site, aspartame causes herpes outbreaks, and this cold sore on my lip right now wouldn't be here if I never took any in the first place.
Garlic
Posted by Steven (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) on 12/06/2009
★★★★★
There have been many times where i've ignored or taken for granted the initial tingles of an oncoming cold sore. So the remedy I'm going to share even works for cold sores at their maximum size and strength! Mix half a clove of crushed garlic with about 1/2 a tablespoon of toothpaste. Depending on the size of the cold sore(s), this mixture will make enough for a few applications. Apply it thick, on not only the cold sore, but around the affected area also. I do warn you, this will burn like mad! Leave it to dry for 3 hours, then remove and re-apply. Do this 3 or 4 times during the day.
The reason this works well is because the toothpaste acts as a barrier, not letting air to the affected area, giving the crushed garlic increased potential to kill the infection.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Laura (Cape Cod, Ma) on 12/06/2009
★★★★★
Found your site while searching for natural wart remedies and read up on all the things that Apple Cider Vinegar is supposed to help. My husband suffers from cold sores (herpes) thankfully, infrequently. But he was getting a really large one and tried the ACV on it and it really worked. Soak a cotton ball with ACV and place on the area as soon as you feel tingling. Do this as often as possible for the first 24 hrs and it skips the whole burning and breakout period. The sore went right to crusting over and healing in about 4 days. We had to write in because your site helped him so much! thank you...will respond to the wart ACV remedy too because that works too!
Acetone
Posted by Lee (Phoenix, Az Usa) on 12/02/2009
★★★★★
Not only is acetone produced by the body naturally in small amounts, it breaks down and is metabolized as fuel.
Acetone works well!!! If you are burned, you are either too wimpy or have some odd allergy.
If the smell bothers you, get the real stuff from HomeDepot. The nail polish smell and bitters is to deter winos from drinking it.
This is the first technique that I've found that actually helps. I get them from too much sun or windburn.
Aspirin
Posted by Bill (Calgary, Alberta) on 11/27/2009
★★★★★
To shorten the duration and size of cold sores, use ASA. Put a tablet on a spoon, then a drop of water to make a paste. Put it on the sore (you will feel it tingle). The ASA will dry up. Just keep putting it on. It will reduce redness and shorten the out break quickly. I use this when at home and instead of going out with a big white mass on my lip, I just brush it off and the sores are almost invisible. I have fewer outbreaks since I stopped drinking soda. I thank others on this site for that gem, as I used to get outbreaks every spring and late fall, signaling a weather change usually within a month.
EC: ASA is the acronym for acetylsalicylic acid, or ASPIRIN.
Acetone
Posted by Linda (Des Moines, Iowa) on 11/03/2009
★★★★★
Acetone nail polish diminishes cold sores
You have to keep using it, though, for at least an hour or two. I'm in my 50s and have had cold sores ever since I was a little kid. I have found that if you can attack them quickly and aggressively, you can diminish them.
First, get a bottle of acetone nail polish remover and an over-the-counter strong cold sore ointment. First put the ointment on and let it sit there for a few minutes, then swab the sore with nail polish remover until the swab isn't cold anymore. Apply the ointment, and swab again. This takes two or three hours, but it's worth it. If you catch it early enough, the swelling will go down quite a bit and may be almost unnoticeable in the morning. I'm usually able to conceal it with a cover stick and a little powder the next day.
Manuka Honey
Posted by Jessica (Orlando, Florida, Usa) on 10/27/2009
★★★★★
Ive Been Using Manuka Honey for my cold sores. I normally get them from ACCIDENTALLY touching my mouth with unclean hands especially with money. When I was young I sue to get them ALL the time and could never figure out when until I got older and put 2 and 2 together and realized the Dirtiness in $$ and touching my mouth was causing continous outbreaks. I try to be as cautious as possible but I also have kids who accidentally hit me in the mouth here and there when playing or jumping around. Ive been applying manuka honey with a Q Tip everytime im touched anywhere in the area of my mouth. At night I apply the manuka honey around the outer lining of my mouth and also all over my lips and thus far have not had any outbreaks. The Manuka Honey helps destroy bacteria and is also WONDERFUL for so many different ailments. I had a cold sore a few months back and applied the manuka honey to it continuosally and the sore was gone and healed within a week. It never allowed the sore to get bubble up and hit that really disgusting stage. TRY IT IT CANT HURT!!
Ted's Remedy Feedback
Posted by E11even (Miami, Fl) on 10/24/2009
Clarification of Ted's remedy
Can someone PLEASE translate Ted's remedy into simple dosage and instructions??? pills? liquid? topical? internally? This formula sounds good but is unclear....
"The exact measurement for the herpes simplex cure is a 5% concentration of Zinc Chloride and a 5% concentration of Magnesium Chloride. This is the simplest formula that is most easy to remember. Viruses take a long time to kill because they hide inside your body.
To quicken the kill so they can no longer hide dormant, you should take 25-50 mg. of zinc acetate for a week alternatively. This means take this one week on and take it one week off. Do this for about two months."
Thanks in advance, God bless...
Homeopathic Remedies
Posted by Jane (Hamilton, New Zealand) on 10/15/2009
★★★★☆
I had been getting coldsores regularly for the past twenty years. I also managed to unwittingly infect my four year old son with them. We were getting them every six weeks at least. A homeopath recommended the homeopathic remedy Natrum Muriaticum. I didn't wait for our next outbreak, just took three pilules four times a day for about three days. My son and I have been coldsore free for two years...until this week after a day's skiing I had my first outbreak (skiing for some reason has always given me the worst coldsores). That's why I'm on this site searching for quickfire remedies as the homeopathic remedy is helping but not fast enough for a quick cure. However I recommend it as a way to prevent their recurrence.
Thc
Posted by Maryjane420 (Dallas, Tx Us) on 10/05/2009
Well, I've never heard of that before...Really don't see how that would work, but I suppose it's worth a try, I guess, 'cause I always got bud around! But just in case anyone is wondering, NO, smoking out WILL NOT prevent or cure an outbreak!!! Trust me, I'm a freakin pot head who smokes everyday and I'm actually having a massive outbreak as I type this. I haven't had this disease very long so I'm still learning about what works, what doesn't, prevention of spreading and outbreaks...but man is it horrible. Suppressive therapy still allows outbreaks, but then if you find yourself like me, without a job or insurance, you can't afford it anymore and it makes the next outbreak SO MUCH WORSE! Plus, any stress factor or change in your life, your body, your emotions...all of that will cause an outbreak. If you are sick, a smoker, have another disease, even menstruation can trigger an outbreak. Guys who have it should consider themselves VERY lucky. They don't have the proper "environment" to advocate growth, as we girls do. It sucks. THE ONLY thing I've found to be very helpful is the typical M.D. answer: "Eat right, exercise, take vitamins, drink water" etc etc. As stupid and cliche as that advice sounds, it really did do wonders for me when I was vigilant about my health. It may be worth noting (or may not be...dunno) that I was following a gluten-free diet during this time and drank no carbonated beverages at all, as well as no alcohol. When my world fell apart, though, like everyone's does at SOME point, that's when my health went to s--- and that's when I even discovered I had the disease(s). I'd had them for several months and never knew. I knew this because I had been single for a while by then. This is probably why fairly healthy individuals can have these for years and really, truly NEVER know--until their immune system drops. HPV works very similarly (I got the 2-for-1 special from Mr Manwhore whom I foolishly trusted). I didn't even know I had a problem, aside from the usual paranoia after having sex with a different partner. But yeah, you know, it sounds real easy to just eat good foods, drink water, and exercise, but when everything sucks in your life, it's real hard to actually do. Pile jobs, kids, housework, relationships, bills, etc on top of it and it's easy to just say *F it!* and go to McDonalds. THEN, try doing it by yourself like I, and SO MANY other single women, have to do. And then when immunity is down your outbreaks take over and make you feel ugly at the VERY least, not even mentioning the pain. If you're not SUPER careful you can spread it around your body. I do not have oral herpes but whether it was from just being not careful, or a towel, or whatever, I managed to get a sore on my lip. So yeah, another bad cliche, "an ounce of cure is worth a pound of prevention"...Wear condoms, people. Don't be stupid like I was. Sure it feels great, but the potential consequences ARE NOT worth it. And most of the time the guy is not worth it either. Well, anyway, that's about all I had. Hope that helps someone out there, anyway.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Rhonda (Rockwood, Tn) on 10/01/2009
★★★★★
I put oil of oregano (one drop) on my fever blister/ cold sore and withing an hour I noticed it was disappearing. I reapplied throughout the day and by the end of the day it was as if I never had one. It had started out that morning as a potentially nasty one - a lot of blisters covering an area about the size of a dime. As you know, what you see in the morning is just the tip of the ice berg as they continue to grow during the first day or so. I also put three or four drops under my tongue. I bought mine from a health food store. Get the kind that is diluted with olive oil not alcohol. Also, there are places on line that sell it cheaper and in a much higher strength. There are even places that sell it undiluted with instructions on how to dilute it with extra virgin olive oil. I've tried all the other cold sore cures. This is the only one that did anything for me.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Moe (Tigard, Or) on 09/26/2009
Thank you all for your information. I want to add that I have outbreaks when I eat banannas or take tryptophan. Banannas have tryptophan in them and I have relied on both for a sleep aid until I noticed the OBs came when I used either
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Susan (Sarasota, Fl) on 09/25/2009
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar will stop the progress of herpes. I have an occasional occurrence on my leg. Simply soak a small cotton ball with ACV and cover with a bandaid or tape. Change throughout the day and keep on over night. Amazingly, within a day, you will see you are winning the war!!! I also succeeded in removing a large wart from my finger.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Jean (Franklin, Wi) on 08/18/2009
★★★★★
No idea where I ever got the idea to try this, but it has worked every time for me. When I get a cold sore, I put a crystal of epsom salt on it. It stings for a bit, but within a short period of time the pain is down, a few hours I know its already on the mend, and the next day its usually about 1/2 to 2/3 cleared up. It only needs to be done once.
Ear Wax
Posted by Gladys (Boise, Idaho) on 08/18/2009
★★★★★
My Mother suffered from cold sores, My Great grandmother always said use your own ear wax. Grandma was from the Old Country..When I got married my husband suffered with cold sores, So I told him what grandma used to say to mom. Use your ear wax. After many Years of going thru this. I told him again and also saying i will not tell you again and to just suffer. Well to my surprise he tried it and from then on. he was telling all of his friends. My last words were not to lick your lips.
