Cold Sore Relief: Top Natural Remedies

Zinc

Posted by Canadiandave (Bc) on 01/28/2017 15 posts
★★★★☆

Editor's Choice

I developed an unusual itchy red rash all over my mouth after visiting a certain restaurant, but I could have had a problem for a while. I developed a sore on the corner of each mouth only once in the 2 years since, but get the itching and redness almost every day. I used LED lights to be environmental, but had to switch back, because it made the problem much worse. So as you can see, I did not have an advanced or long term problem, but it was reduced greatly with zinc.

I read that many people with fatigue have a copper/zinc imbalance, and I thought I'd give it a try. It's only been 10 days, and no results yet on the fatigue, but the itching is virtually gone already!

This research also says that people with too high copper/too low zinc have viral problems, as zinc kills viruses in the body, with copper being better against bacteria.

I hope that's true. Not very exciting, but cleaning up my smile is a relief!

Zinc

Posted by Dave Of Canada (Victoria, Bc) on 02/24/2017 15 posts

Well, it's been like a month since my last post. I have to say the zinc I take has kept working all this time. The information I read suggests that people who are addicted to chocolate are often the people with exhaustion, viral problems, anxiety, racing mind, etc. and I found today that exhaustion is reducing in me! I thought the 50mg of zinc citrate I take a day was only helping a lot with cold sores, but today I did some spring cleaning, and found that I could keep cleaning rather than taking a break every 15 minutes. I haven't noticed any increase in energy over the past month and a half, but I seem to have energy after exertion, so I guess that's an improvement in stamina.

I also found that days when I did have chocolate gave me some small amount of that unwelcome itching and redness the next day, as I had read, but I love chocolate so! I found I have much less of a reaction with powdered chocolate than with milk chocolate.

(I was so happy that I celebrated with getting some chocolate! )

I am so glad that read of this connection with zinc/copper, that I think I might try exercising and seeing if I can raise my overall energy level.

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!

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.

Vitamin C and DMSO

Posted by Marymcdowell (Wilmington, DE) on 05/16/2015
★★★★★

I started getting cold sores about five years ago. I get them from sun exposure and they are always on my top lip. The first time I had one it has horrendous--I didn't know what to do and it was huge and lasted for ten days. After that, I started researching and started using topical hydrogen peroxide plus DMSO. This worked pretty well most of the time, but was very time-consuming, as I had to use a q-tip and keep dabbing the solution on the spot for a half-hour at a time, multiple times a day. Last summer I was at my daughter's house in another state, working in the yard without lipstick one morning--the next day I felt the beginning of a cold sore. I started using the peroxide and DMSO but it didn't seem to be working well. I decided to try some Lypo-spheric vitamin c (which is a gel that comes in little foil packages) plus the DMSO. It worked really, really well!

Since then I have used just the Lypo-spheric vitamin c plus DMSO at least three times and the results are nothing short of miraculous. I dab a little DMSO on the spot, then add the Vit c gel and rub it in, but then add a little more gel to leave a small blob on my lip. I leave this on for as long as I can, but usually not more than 15 minutes (although if going to bed, I just leave it on and go to sleep). I might do this twice in a day. The cold sore basically does NOT develop at all. It stops it in its tracks. Recently I realized that DMSO gel (instead of the liquid) probably will work better since it's the same consistency as the vit c gel. (you can use the one package of vit c gel several times, just fold the foil over and paper-clip it in between uses)

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.

Acetone

Posted by Lilli (Kenmore, Wa) on 03/15/2013
★★★★★

My thanks for another wonderful and effective remedy from the Earth Clinic forum.

Every time I have a cold I get a runny nose. From all the wiping and irritation I develop a cold sore... In my nose!!! They are always painful and last a long time. I tried all the OTC products, they only cover up the sore and keep it moist; the exact opposite of what I should have been doing.

A few days ago, I took a q-tip and swabbed all the small blisters in my nose with acetone. I did this once an hour for 3-4 hours. The first thing I noticed was that the throbbing pain went away. I continued to apply the acetone throughout the day. Before bedtime, most blisters had dried up. I applied it once more before I went to bed. Then next day there were no more blisters.

Three days later, the skin is a bit red and needs to heal. I am using a combination of 100% aloe covered with antibiotic salve because I still have the cold and want to protect the area.

Thanks again for the great advice!

Ketogenic Diet

Posted by Cedar (Boston, Massachusetts) on 03/06/2013
★★★★★

I am a female who used to get herpes outbreaks one after another for two years. I was very frustrated, I tried everything from Chinese Herbs, Ayurvedic Herbs, Urotherapy, ACV, De-worming, acetone. I was following a vegetarian diet and jogged regularly. Nothing worked for me, and I would get outbreaks every two weeks, which each took two weeks to heal, so, "continuously" one after another.. I would get fever-ish, weak, depressed, get nerve pains up and down my legs that felt like shingles.. It was awful!

I decided to stop all cardio for a month and do resistance training (Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer to be exact.. Free online program), and follow a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carb), and all of a sudden, no outbreaks or pains for 6 months.

General Feedback

Posted by Gerrit (Abbotsford, Bc, Canada) on 01/08/2013

Gina I want you to know that I take 35 drops of Lugol's 5% in divided doses daily.

I been taking all kinds of Iodine for the last couple of years started slowly with very little.

The info I can find is, if you overdose water starts dripping from your nose and like too much vit C you just pee it out. I'm 83 and still around. I take it for Hypothyroid and still can't get my basil temp over 97. 5 and if I paint it on in the AM it is gone by nightfall.

The same with magnesium oil I have to take lot's of it spray it right in my mouth wish I could find a refillable deoderent applyer so I could roll it on also, I have to take it otherwise I would get foot and leg cramps during the night.

As always do your own DD this is just one man's opinion.

May the Lord continue to bless THIS EC site and its supporters and Angels like Lisa etc.

Acetone

Posted by Artemisia (London, UK) on 12/02/2012

Gracie, that sounds more like shingles, a different type of herpes virus. It travels down the trigeminal nerve down the nose and across the cheek. It responds to Lysine and as you say, cheese, chocolate, nuts and red wine trigger and feed the virus. Counter this with Lysine (buy the powder from iHerb in Ca who ship to the UK for $6 per order). The ONLY way to dry them out (better even than acetone, is CAMPHOR SPIRITS OR in French l'alcool camphre). You used to be able to buy it in the UK, but now I have to get mine from the US yet again. You dab it on as soon as you get the tingle. Believe me, you will start keeping some in the larder. I use it now only once in a while as I know the signal tingle and start taking Lysine in juice. I was once told by a chief Medic in the Homeopathic Hospital, Tunbridge Wells "the herpes virus is a bitch". My friend in the US who gets shingles when run down, has had the vaccine and I believe you can now get it here.... It is with you for life I understand and I can locate exactly where mine resides; under the arachnoid around the skull on the left side which is where the blisters first appeared on my nose and cheek.... My nose is scarred but the cheeks are more resilient. Spirits of camphor.... As we know these cheap remedies are not endorsed by big pharma - too cheap and no profit margin for shareholders. We have to do the research for ourselves and take action.

Artemisia (purely coincidental that this is the latin for Wormwood! It was the name of an old horse of miine)

Camphor

Posted by Artemisia (London, United Kingdom) on 12/02/2012
★★★★★

The only remedy which dries them is SPIRITS OF CAMPHOR, now unavailable in the UK, but I buy from the USA. Also, take Lysine and avoid Arginine containing foods: Cheese, red wine, nuts, chocolate. Sometimes they will appear soon after consuming one or more of these foods. As soon as the "tingling" starts which signals the onset, take a half teaspoon Lysine - I take it twice a day - in juice.

Alcohol

Posted by Khunt (Zurich, Switzerland) on 10/31/2012
★★★★★

Good morning, I wanted to share my story of treating cold sores. I have battling the evil blisters since I was a kid. The embarassment of the huge blister sitting on my face, the pain and the discomfort it caused for days on end. I have tried everything from abreva and ice to lysine, nothing got rid of it. Yes things like abreva cut back on the time my sore lasted but it never got rid of it like alcohol. Yes, pure rubbing alcohol. As soon as you feel the tingling soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and apply for a few minutes every few hours. It will be gone within 24 hours.

I even went as far as to put hand sanitizer on once. I was out at a ball game and felt one coming on. I didn't have alcohol and I panicted. I never use hand sanitizer because of the high content of alcohol in it but a friend had some on her so I grabbed a dab and plopped it on my lip. It was gone by that evening.

Cell Food

Posted by Nathan (Lexington, Ky) on 10/05/2012
★★★★★

Cell Food topically- This is my story. Scroll to the bottom if you're only interested in what worked for me.

Hey all, I've been following earth clinic for sometime now - and love it! I discovered apple cider vinegar on here and it did wonders for my quality of life as I used to have insanely dry scalp in the winter and acne. Acv did the trick for both.

Okay, onto my cold sore treatment: Abreva has worked pretty well for me the past couple of years. I'd keep it on me and when I'd feel the "tingle" use it and I hadn't had a major outbreak since I started using it - until Monday morning. I felt the tingle on Sunday night, put some Abreva in that spot and went to sleep. Woke up with a full blown cold sore... Yikes! Of course, this Saturday (tomorrow) I have a number of guests coming in town for what is annually one of the biggest social events of the year for me. Instead of panicking I came here and discovered the acetone treatment and hydrogen peroxide as well. I had hope!

So for the following 36 hours I diligently treated the monstrosity on my lip with acetone and hp. Only problem was by Tuesday night I had not one sore but three! It was the worst outbreak of my life. The acetone seemed to aggravate the infection, not to mention it smelled terrible and the hp didn't seem to go deep enough. I believe those treatments work for many of you - they just didn't for me. The nail polish remover I was using I later noticed included gelatin in the ingredients and I read elsewhere that gelatin can aggravate an outbreak -maybe that was it.

Anyway I woke up Wednesday desperate, ready to call off plans for Saturday. While obsessing over what I could do, I remembered reading that Cell Food helped cuts and burns heal fast, so I googled it to see what I could find out about it's effect on cold sores. I didn't find much, just one testimonial but it was positive. What did I have to lose? So I gave it a shot. Went to the bathroom grabbed some cellfood and put a couple of drops on my lip and it burned like hell (way worse than acetone or hp). I thought "this could be really good or really bad". 30 minutes later my lip was drying out and the swelling was going down so I put another drop on my lip. By Wednesday night the "tingle" was completely gone and all of the sores were drying up. I continued to use cell food every 3 hrs (I would also put some drops in my juice and water) and yesterday my sores started to scab over.

This is the amazing part: last night the healthy parts of my lips were starting to grow like a new fresh layer of skin I think from the cell food. Today the two smaller sores are 90% healed and the big sore I think will be 90% by morning. My lips are chapped from being so dried out, but after the sores are nearly completely gone I'll use chap stick.

I said to a friend earlier this week that it would take a miracle for my lips to heal by Saturday and I actually think they will be fine by tomorrow. I started on Cell Food Wednesday with 3 throbbing sores!

This is the first time I've shared on earth clinic. I hope this works for you as good as it did for me! Oh, yeah: I must say Thank God! Because I prayed a lot too! He answered my prayers :)

Acetone

Posted by Mk (Ky) on 06/10/2015
★★★★★

Straight Acetone is the best, and at night I use calamine lotion to aid in the drying, makes you look funny, but it works! Two to three days and gone! Completely!

L-Lysine

Posted by Robyn (Melbourne, Australia) on 08/02/2012

Becky, I suffer too. Viral, manic, bad fibro, whacko immune sysem. What about garlic, lemon, BHT, olive leaf extract - these help. wheat grass sprouts as someone suggested to me. Dont think you can OD on lysine.