Natural Cold Sore Remedy

Cold sores have a knack of appearing at the worst possible time – right before a big date or when you have to make that important presentation. They always start out the same way, as a bunch of small blisters that eventually blossom into a large, painful, ugly sore. It’s the kind that sucks out all of your self confidence. The fact that it is contagious makes people stay away from you, making you feel even worse.

The cold sore is different from a canker sore, which appears inside the mouth. This is caused by a virus, the Herpes Simplex virus type 1. This nasty virus is a relative of the sexually transmitted type 2 virus, and if you have a cold sore, you probably acquired it as a kid or from a significant other. Once you acquire this virus, it makes a permanent home for itself under skin, in certain nerve cells, and you can never get rid of it. Why it decides to show itself, is still relatively unknown, but factors like stress, fever, colds, exposure to too much sun, fatigue, weakness in the immune system, allergies, menstruation, and trauma may bring it on.

Home Remedies: If you do get a cold sore, here are a few natural treatments that might help you feel better.

• To ease the discomfort of a cold sore and make it vanish sooner, you can apply herbs like Lemon Balm, chamomile or Echinacea. Lemon balm is particularly helpful in killing the viruses that show themselves on your face, and you can also try St. John’s Wort. Use them as a tincture, and dab them onto the sore, many time a day.

• Echinacea boosts the immune system, and helps the body fight off the viruses. You can take it internally, or gargle with strong Echinacea decoction, three or more times a day.

• You can also use Licorice for cold sores. It may be applied to the sore, or you can drink licorice root tea as long as the sore is visible. Licorice keeps the viruses from replicating, which will help the sore to heal faster.

• Other herbs and plants, like Aloe Vera, Selfheal and garlic, among others will also help.

You also need to keep an eye on your diet and lifestyle if you’re prone to cold sores. Try and identify behaviours or stimuli that bring on the sores, and try to avoid these. Simple hygienic improvements, like keeping your toothbrush outside the bathroom, keeping your hands clean and washing often will help. Keep in mind that no part of your body is isolated, and if your life is too stressful, you may want to deal with it better, and incorporate meditation and exercise into your daily life.