Click Here to Learn how to cure your cold sores for life

Today, there are many options available for treating a cold sore. Cold sores are primarily caused by the herpes simplex virus. They are closely related to oral herpes as well as genital herpes, as cold sores or fever blisters are the main symptoms of such diseases.

Cold sores are painful fluid-filled blisters which usually occur on the lips, the gums or the roof of the mouth. They are usually accompanied by pain or tingling before a day or two before they actually appear.

Natural Cold Sore Remedies

There are a variety of methods now available for treating a cold sore. Most people prefer home remedies for treatment of cold sores to supplement medications prescribed to them. This is mainly because medications only act to prevent the symptoms of cold sores, but do not really keep it from coming back. Some even rely on natural and herbal treatments without medicine or prescription drugs. Presented below are natural remedies for cold sore treatment that has been proven to work:

1. Lysine

Lysine is an essential amino acid found to inhibit the spread of herpes virus. To cure cold sores, individuals who have them must eat lysine-rich foods or take lysine supplements that may shorten the duration of cold sores. There are also lysine ointments now available in the market which can be applied directly on the cold sore.

2. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm, scientifically known as Melissa officinalis, has been seen to have antiviral properties. In various studies, lemon balm cream was seen to promote healing of blisters within 5 days. Used in a regular basis, lemon balm cream can also decrease the frequency of herpes recurrences.

3. Reishi and Astragalus

Reishi and Astragalus are traditional Asian medicines that have been used together to inhibit the spread of the herpes virus and to improve the immune function of people who have them.

4. Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a compound naturally found in red grapes which have been discovered in laboratory studies to be active against the HSV and to treat cold sores. Application of the resveratrol cream topically three to five times a day suppressed the development of cold sore.

5. Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil has been shown to be effective in penetrating the skin and create a direct anti-viral effect against the herpes simplex virus.

6. Propolis

Bee propolis, or simply called propolis is a resinous brown substance collected by bees from plants and use it to build their hives and keep them germ0free. This has been found to be active against herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, which causes oral herpes (herpes labialis). It is believed to prevent virus from entering the cells and to block the spread and replication of the virus. There is a lot of information about Propolis all over the Internet

7. Self-Heal

The herb called self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), a perennial plant found in Europe and China, has been discovered to be effective in both type 1 and type 2 herpes virus as well as related strains.

8. Other Remedies

Other natural remedies are continually being studied for their effectivity in treating fever blisters of cold sores which include black currant, rhubarb and sage cream and the undaria seaweed.

Precaution

People who suffer from diseases such as leukemia, diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, any autoimmune disease, or liver problems and those who have had organ transplant should take extra precaution in taking the herbs and supplements mentioned, especially the ones that help improve immune function. It is best to consult the doctor first before resorting to alternative means for treating a cold sore.