Home Remedies for Cold Sores

One advantage of using a home remedy for cold sores is that treatment can begin immediately since there is no need to visit the doctor to get a prescription or go to the drugstore and choose between several creams.  As soon as someone realizes they are developing a cold sore, they can begin the home remedy. 

There are a large number of home treatments for cold sores.  These remedies can include diet changes, taking vitamins and supplements, applying different types of juice or powder to the sore, or simply holding an ice cube against it.  While some of theses remedies work better than others, there is a chance that some of the more obscure home remedies may not offer any relief at all.  However, some of them are proven to help heal cold sores. 

Pressing or rubbing ice on a sore is possibly the best-known home remedy for cold sores.  There are several benefits to this remedy.  If the ice is applied early in the development of the cold sore, it can slow down the metabolism of the area around the cold sore, greatly slowing its growth.  It is good to hold the ice to the sore for a few minutes every ten minutes for a few hours.  The ice will also make the sore smaller and keep the virus from moving or spreading. 

Rubbing aloe, lemon balm extract, or tea bags to cold sores is also known to lessen their size and help reduce pain.  Drinking less coffee is another home remedy for cold sores.  It is believed that coffee can be a catalyst in the formation of cold sores.  It is recommended that people who are susceptible to cold sores cut back on their coffee intake.

A number of home remedies are great for healing cold sores.  These treatments are quick, easy, and cheap and can help relieve the pain of a cold sore as well as help make it heal quicker.