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.
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.
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.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Sara (Miami, Florida) on 08/07/2009
★★★★★
Last Monday I had a cold sore outbreak in my upper lip (I started feeling the tingly sensation) , so immediately I looked for remedies in this website and I opted to use the Hydrogen Peroxide. Let me tell you it is a wonderful remedy for cold sore, by wednesday the cold sore was completely dry and it got never bigger than half size of a lentil bean. I had outbreaks before (usually when I am stressed) and it was a nightmare, the cold sore lasted for weeks ( I am not kidding) and it got as big as half of my upper lip. The treatment is extremely easy and cheap: damp a q-tip or cotton swab with the HP and apply to the area as many times as you can. i did it every 3 hours. Thanks earth clinic for such helpful information
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Jg (Oakland, California) on 08/04/2009
★★★★★
First of all I would like to thank all of you who've shared your experiences and comments. Last Thursday night I felt some tingling around my mouth so I decided to go and get some Abreva, (silly me). I went to bed hoping it would not get one. The next morning I woke up with some small blisters on the top corner of my lip, (I had to call in sicked). By Friday afternoon the blisters had spread to my side of my mouth and it was now almost now the size of a quarter. This was the first time I had a sore that big. I was desperate and didn't know what to do. I could not show up to work on monday with a sore that big.
That's when I decided to do some internet research and I ran into this site! I read on some of your Hydrogen peroxide success stories and decided to try it. I had my wife go to the store and get a small bottle of it. I poked the blisters with a needle and then held a cotton ball soaked in Peroxide for as long as I could. I then, covered the soar with a ___ ( you can find this at you local pharmacy) this is a gel. The gel will harden and won't let the soar get any air. (the virus can't continue to grow without air). After a few hours I carefully remove the gel by rubbing peroxide on it. I repeated this process every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day. Did the same thing all day Saturday. By Sunday night, All I had was a scab. I put some chap stick on the hard scab to make it soft and remove it. Monday morning, I used some on my wife's make up to cover the redness of my skin. You could hardly tell I had something there. This is the quickest I've been able to get rid of a cold sore! Thanks to you all!!
Vicks
Posted by Sandy (Monterey Park, Ca) on 07/29/2009
★★★★★
My husband was sporting a cold sore on his lip for a couple weeks. He was using some OTC stuff. I told him that I heard Dr. Oz say something about Vicks being good for fungus. He ignored me. Then I felt a sting on my lip and knew a cold sore was coming on. I immediately took a swab of Vicks and put it on my lip. I could feel it tingle. I kept applying it when ever I felt it had rubbed off. In two days the sore was gone. He was still sporting his!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Pamm (Birmingham, Al) on 07/24/2009
★★★★★
Cold Sores: This site has been amazing & I have loved it! I hate taking medication for anything, so I try all of these natural remedies first. And I have had some Down Falls. But more good then bad. Everyone is different so not everything will work for everyone. I noticed I had a virus of some sort and noticed my lips were tingling and sore and I had many blisters forming quickly. I did not have my usual cold sore medication and I hate fever blisters so I came on here and read about the Apple Cider Vinegar Cure. I am not going to put fingernail polish remover on my lips because of the toxins in it, so I tried the ACV and it burned but not too bad. I did this throughout the day and by nighttime I could see they were drying up & looked better. Here it is the next morning. Not completely gone, but less noticeable no tingling, no pain, they are almost completely dried up. They are not hurting like they were yesterday. Also try taking Valtrex, you have to get a prescription from your doctor but it works. It boost your immune system. But I was amazed that this Apple Cider Vinegar worked so quickly! I am going to keep doing it today, and I know they will not come out if I keep it soaked down with the natural Apple Cider Vinegar. Natural all the way!
Ear Wax
Posted by Robin (St. Augustine, FL) on 06/25/2009
★★★★★
It is my wish to relieve people of the embarassment of the stigma that goes with walking around with huge, weeping, gross cold sores on the lips. You DO NOT have to live with this anymore. Ever!! At the first sign of 'tingle' get some of your OWN ear wax, yes, I said ear wax, via swab, finger or whatever....and apply to the tingle spot. That cold sore will never come into fruition. You will feel the battle going on immediatley. Do not guffaw and say 'ewwww gross' as this is a very real effect. Of course you are not going to want to run your tongue around your lips for about a day....but so what? I've never, ever suffered another cold sore again....This is a solid thing. Your ear, nose and throat are all one and if one gets 'infected', the others send out 'soldiers' so the whole system is not infected. Your ears have the remedy for cold sores. Just do it and don't hem and haw. It is 100% effective. Get over the gross out factor and allow what nature produces to do what it's supposed to do. You don't even have to tell anybody how you are cold sore free....they probably can't handle it but it's nice to know that you have the 'lip balm' that will free you from that dreaded situation. You can do this in any stage of the infection...it will halt its tracks upon application...but why wait till you're sporting the fugly scab? When you feel the tingle....start harvesting nature's remedy supplied in your own ear. And have a blessed day.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Amber (Washington, DC) on 06/23/2009
★★★★★
I had never gotten cold sores before and this was the first time. It was horrible i had 3 HUGE cold sores on and around my lips. i waited 2 weeks and they didn't go away. i used pills and creams but nothing worked. I read here to use hydrogen peroxide and i figured what could i lose i already look horrible and i had 1 day befoe i was leaving to europe for 2 weeks. basically it works wonders! i had yellow puss dried up for about 5 days and it hadn't fallen off yet. the HP dissolved the dried puss and made it easier for me to pick off. some of the sores were still open so i put the hydrogen peroxide on( it burned like nothing else) it didn't puss over again it just dried out. now i have red skin but thats it. i can at least go out in public now
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Eric (San Francisco, California) on 06/08/2009
★★★★★
I've been getting cold sores occasionally for 12 years and have tried every over the counter topical treatment there is, but NOTHING worked like Apple Cider Vinegar did.(I actually find that most of those oily/waxy treatments make my sores worse.) I take a L-Lysine supplement pill every day of my life which I feel helps keep the breakouts down to a minimum, but occasionally sun exposure etc. will bring on a sore and I was desperate for a treatment that finally worked! I was skeptical of home remedies especially when I read that people were applying acetone to their faces, but 2 days ago I had a cold sore eruption the size of a dime on my lower lip and I thought I'd try about anything to speed along it's demise. I came across many sites listing Apple Cider Vinegar as a topical solution and I remembered my grandfather using it for burns and cuts. The fact that it's all natural was a major selling point, so I decided to give it a try. I had already had the sore for about 24 hours when I started applying 100% Apple cider vinegar directly to the sore with a Q-Tip. It was at the red sore with white blister stage, but hadn't yet erupted or oozed. Well let me tell you, within 5 minutes of applying vinegar it started to sting a little and then pulsate and I knew something was working. I read that viruses can not live in an acidic environment and this was no exception. Over the next few hours, I continually applied and reapplied a few drops and it was as if I had placed a time machine on my sore. What would usually take about 5-7 days occurred over the course of a few hours. My sore erupted oozed, dried out, cracked and crusted over that evening. I then cleansed and applied a little acne medication and left in on overnight to dry the sore further. By the next morning, the scab sloughed off in the shower and I was left with just a dry reddish area of skin, but no sore or bump whatsoever. I was able to cover it with a little concealer (something that NEVER works effectively on an actual cold sore) and with a little loose powder, it was practically invisible. The area is still dry and little painful due to the war that had occurred on the premises the night before, but should be all cleared up by tomorrow and best of all, the cracking/bleeding stage was skipped all together. Essentially, what would usually have lasted 7-10 days for me was complete in just 48 hours. I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I had caught the sore at the tingling stage and applied Apple Cider Vinegar right away. All I can say is that I am AMAZED at the results. Apple Cider Vinegar. Who Knew??? I'm a Believer!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by EricSF (San Francisco, CA) on 06/08/2009
★★★★★
I'm sorry, but with all the alternative remedies listed here I can't condone ripping off part of your face; in effect, performing surgery on yourself as a remedy to cold sores. Not only would this be excruciatingly painful, you also leave an open wound on your face to develop infections and leave scars. Next time, try Apple Cider Vinegar. My cold sore erupted, oozed, dried out, scabbed and cleared up within 24 hours after repeatedly applying 100% Apple cider vinegar for a few hours. By the next day, only a small dry red area of skin was left which could be covered with a little concealer and healed within the next 24 hours. What would usually last 8-10 days essentially ran it's course in 2 and vinegar is all natural. I was amazed how well it worked, but it certainly did and didn't involve mutilating my face.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Sarah (Cape Cod, MA) on 06/02/2009
★★★★★
Hydrogen Peroxide cleared up my cold sore in 48 hours. I was and AM sick of paying for Abreva, etc...when it takes over a week to do anything at all. I never suffered from cold sores until the age of 22, and since then they have been directly related to the change in my hormones prior to getting my period. So, from 22 until now (almost 3 years), I've almost consistently had to deal with the annoyance/pain/discomfort of them. So, in a desperate search for a better answer, I came to your website (which has helped me a lot in the past), and 48 hours later I'm 90% cleared up! It's amazing, it went from appearing, to drying, to scabbing, to healing in no time at all. Thanks so much everyone for your input!
Acidophilus
Posted by Jimdave (Lavinia, Tennessee) on 06/02/2009
★★★★★
Acidolpholis cured my cold sores and fever blisters. Had them all my life and saw a note about this bacteria in a magazine. I laughed, like everyone else. Later is desperation I tried some Bulgarian Buttermilk and within 24 hrs they were gone. Worked for years, then they took the buttermilk off the shelves. Replaced it with bulgarian style (no bacteria added). It's a fake and doesn't work anymore. Bought the pills over the counter. Also works great. Just take one or two ocasionaly when traveling and eating processed food.If takeing antibiotics or drinking clorinated water you will need to take a mega dose between antibiotic pills. You will be amazed. No thrush or hemorriods. Most every company has thier own kind of bacteria so I alternate and keep a couple on hand. Some now say that they contain Bulgariacus. That apears to be the best.
Witch Hazel
Posted by Dada (Boston, Ma, US) on 05/28/2009
★★★★★
Well, of all these remedies only this one works for me. Thank you!
L-Lysine
Posted by ShantiM (Mogadoe, Ohio) on 05/27/2009
★★★★★
When I take one cap of 500mg a day of L Lysine, I never have an out-break. When I don't take it, I have an out-break about once every three months. I have been on and off the L Lysine for years. Now I take it daily and have not had an out-break of oral herpes for eight months. Some days I take only half a dose...it still works. I would suggest this cure for anyone who has oral herpes and I can't imagine not taking L Lysine everyday ever again.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by C P (Columbia, SC) on 05/24/2009
★★★★☆
I have GH and we all know its excrutiating...hurt very bad. But herpes is a virus that lies dormant at the base of your spine inside your nervous system. The absolute best way to avoid an outbreak is to try your best to stay stress-free and worry-free and illness-free...take plenty of vitamin c or immunity defense tabs, plenty of water...we all know that sick can cause stress and worry...but this seems to be working well for me. I haven't had and outbreak in almost a year. But, when I do, I use a mixture of sea salt or witch hazel and lidocaine spray. the salt and witch hazel helps dry it out and the lidocaine of course, numbs the area for a while. also, after showering, i know this sounds crazy, but i use lysol..the can says dont use on skin, but if you read it kills the herpes virus...I spray a touch of lysol on a dry towel (not enough to effect your skin)and gently pat the area...wait about 5 minutes then, do the sea salt, lidocaine trick...this has worked very well for me...hope it helps
Acetone
Posted by Lewis (Circleville, Ohio) on 05/13/2009
Oreganol oil and DMSO will get rid of a cold sore fast. I make a little paste, and use a Q-tip to apply.
Acetone
Posted by Neeya (Norfolk, VA) on 05/12/2009
Nail polish, really??? Is that safe? Also, has anyone experienced cold sores moving from one end of the mouth to the other? I have, and it's a pain. I read that these sores usually last up to three weeks in some cases! I am ready for this to be done.
