Cold sores are caused by a virus that make blisters. These blisters often form around the mouth and can be extremely sore and unsightly. Once you catch the virus, it can remain dormant in your system until stress, illness, sunlight or another trigger causes it to flare up.
Once the cold sore forms, all you can do is treat the sore and try to get it to heal. Be sure to keep from touching it and spreading the virus to others or causing other blisters to break out. Check out 5 home remedies that may quickly heal your cold sores.
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1. Lemon balm. Medical News Today (MNT) says that lemon balm is excellent for healing cold sores. To make an ointment, melt 1 1/2 teaspoons beeswax and 2 tablespoons infused lemon balm oil in a double boiler on the stove. Once they're thoroughly melted, add 10 drops of lemon balm essential oil and 1 teaspoon honey. Put the pan in ice water and stir for 30 to 45 seconds, until the honey is thoroughly mixed in. Put the ointment in a container and use freely.
2. Whole milk. MNT also says to use whole milk treat the cold sore because it has a protein that helps fight the cold sore virus and healing properties as well. BottomLineInc says to soak a cotton ball in the whole milk and then hold the cotton ball on the cold sore for 10 minutes. Repeat as needed until the blister begins to heal.
3. Cornstarch paste. A simple solution offered by MNT is to make a cornstarch paste from equal parts cornstarch and water. Put the paste on the cold sore.
4. Aloe vera gel. Another solution that is easy is to place aloe vera gel directly on the cold sore. Healthline recommends using a cotton ball or Q-tip to place the gel on the sore. This keeps you from transferring the virus anywhere else.
5. Licorice root. Reader's Digest recommends making a licorice root balm. Mix 1 tablespoon licorice root with 1 tablespoon petroleum jelly. Apply this to the cold sore overnight.
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Finding the right solution for you may just be a matter of trial and error. Once you find it, you'll never look back!