Cold Sores: What Are The Natural Remedies?

What can be worse than a blister on your face? It is not only painful but ugly as well. Cold sores tend to snatch away the confidence from a person’s heart.

The cold sores tend to torment you for at least 7-10 days. This time can be really agonizing for you.

However, using some natural, homemade remedies can help you get relief from the pain. 

To know those natural remedies, let’s first do a background check on cold sores. This way we will be able to analyze which remedy works for you and in what way.

What are cold sores?

Cold sore is actually an infection that leads to forming of red blisters around the mouth, on the lips, inside the mouth, on the tongue, or anywhere on the face.

These blisters are filled with fluids and when it breaks, it puts a scab on that place, and it can last for quite a good time. 

Cold sores often leave back scars. Therefore, it is advisable to treat it instead of leaving it on its own.

Therefore, this is an infectious disease, therefore avoid close contact with someone like kissing or sharing food or water.

Other names of these infectious diseases are fever blisters or oral herpes.

What causes cold sores?

There are two types of viruses that can cause cold sore and both are herpes simplex virus types.

 A herpes simplex virus type11 is the most common cause of fiver blisters than herpes simplex virus type-2.

If you have been in contact with any other person with cold sores, you might get infected from it. It can also be spread via oral sex affecting the genitals.

Since there is no cure for cold sores, the virus becomes dormant in your body and can reinfect you.

It is possible to only sedate the effects of cold sores. Therefore, you must focus on piping down the effects of the virus and take care that it doesn’t become a recurring infection in your body.

Cold sores often develop in patches. Several blisters come together to cause a painful experience for the patient throughout their presence.

It takes around 3-4 weeks for blisters to disappear from your mouth, therefore, using some natural remedy might help you to minimize the inconvenience.

Also Read: 5 Herbal Spices From Kitchen That Fights Acne

What are the natural remedies for cold sores?

Ice 

What could be a better homemade natural remedy than ice? Ice does not have the potential to treat the blisters, neither it can keep away the pain for long.

But, ice has cooling properties. So, when you are in great pain or having a hard time with blisters, you can try putting some ice cubes over the cold sores.

Put the pack of ice or the ice cube directly over the sore. Do not rub the ice on the blister, otherwise, it can scratch it and cause more pain afterward. 

Just gently keep the ice on the cold sore and forget about the pain. Ice will sedate the effects of cold sore and help you get relief.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a widely used plant that can be found in most houses. Even if you don’t have one in your garden, you can ask your neighbor, and you will find it. Or, you can buy it online.

Aloe Vera has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties which makes it the best choice to use against cold sores. 

Cold sore is a viral infection, therefore, and it is caused by inflammation. Therefore, using Aloe Vera gels on the cold sore will be beneficial for you. 

Lemon balm

Lemon balm is a plant that has been used in herbal medicines for a long time. Its extract is used to treat different types of diseases. 

You can apply lemon balm oil on your blisters to cut out further infection. Lemon balm is an antiviral herb that will help you to stop the ingrowth of the virus and stop it from spreading.

This medicine can also be taken in the form of tea. Lemon balm tea is a famous cure to tackle stress and treat insomnia, both, can be a potent reason to increase the infection.

Therefore, you can dive into the goodness of lemon balm tea or its extract oil to get relief from your blisters.

Peppermint oil

Just like the above-mentioned natural remedies, peppermint oil also is an anti-viral agent. If you want to reduce the effects of infection, you need to reduce the cause.

Peppermint oil will prove to be a potent ingredient for that purpose. 

A 2003 medical research suggests that using peppermint oil in a good amount has cut down the herpes simplex virus by more than 90%.

This also means that using peppermint oil on a cold sore will help you reduce the healing time and avoid the unpleasant effects of the infection altogether.

Vanilla extract

Using vanilla extract on a cold sore can be harsh on it. After all, vanilla is an alcohol-based ingredient. Therefore, it does not help to reduce the effects of cold sore and treat it. 

But, it burns the blisters. Vanilla has an astringent effect on blisters. 

Using vanilla extract will dry out the blister, but you cannot expect it to heal it.

Chamomile 

Yet another essential oil with tea therapy for your fever blisters. Chamomile is a natural herb that will help you to pipe down the infection.

It may not be able to improve the pain, but it will stop further infection.

You can use this herb as an essential oil or in the form of tea.

Are there any other ways to treat cold sores?

Some over-the-counter medicines can help you to treat cold sores. You just need to tell them how long you have had the infection and how serious it is. 

If you have cold sores for a prolonged period of time and often reinfect, you should consider seeing a doctor. 

Some over-the-counter medicine includes Docosanol, Acyclovir, Ibuprofen, or some antiviral gel.

The bottom line

Cold sores can be a painful experience for the patient. It doesn’t only cause pain but also affects the normal chorus and life.

If the blisters are in the mouth, it may prevent you from eating various foods. Every so often, it is so painful that you can only depend on a mild liquid diet. 

Therefore, using home remedies such as ice, Aloe Vera, lemon balm tea or other herbal oil can save you from the agonizing pain caused by a cold sore.

Further Reading: Emedicinehealth.com