Cold Sores Home Remedies

We all know that conventional medicine has a few tricks to help us with our cold sore problems and some of these include creams and antiviral lotions. But unfortunately they don’t cure, just treat. Have a look in your kitchen cupboard and you may just find some useful cold sores home remedies that are both natural and cheap and will help alleviate the problems associated with cold sore outbreaks.

We know that cold sores are not the most attractive accessory we could have but while trying to cope with them, you should be able to experience as little discomfort as possible by trying out these easy cold sores home remedies.

Home Remedies of the Sweet-tooth Variety:

Some studies have shown that glycyrrhizic acid, which is an ingredient found in licorice, has the ability to stop the cold sore virus cells from spreading. Try to chew some licorice but make sure it is made from real licorice, as some so-called ‘licorice’ sold today is actually flavoured with anise. If you check the ingredient list and it states that ‘licorice mass’ is included, it means the product does contain real licorice. Licorice powder sprinkled on the sore is also another way of licorice helping. Or you could even mix up a cream using a touch of licorice power with a tiny amount of pure vegetable shortening or lard (depending on where you come from), then apply it to the sore. But you must bear in mind though not to go overboard! Just as with all kinds of medicine, real licorice medicinal effects have the ability to cause some serious side effects if used in large enough quantities over long periods of time.

Remedies From the Freezer Compartment:

If you put some ice on a cold sore when it first announces its arrival, you may actually cut down the time it stays with you. Cold compresses and ice packs provide some temporary relief to the symptoms. Sometimes a tasty ice lolly will help by offering relief too, but make sure they are not of the juice bar variety. The acid content in these could irritate your cold sores even more than before thus rendering it useless as one of the cold sores remedies! You could try super-cooled drinks like slushes or smoothies, which are another tasty way at providing relief.

Home Remedies From the Refrigerator

Soak a ball of cotton wool in milk and apply it to the area of the sore to relieve the pain. Better still, if you feel the tingling sensation before the cold sore actually surfaces, use this remedy straight away as it can help speed up the healing process right from the start.

Supplements as a Home Remedy:

As cold sores can be triggered by stress, sucking on zinc lozenges can help boost the immune system.