Home remedies for cold sores

What are home remedies for cold sores?

Home remedies for cold sores can be foods as well as simple behaviors. Their characteristic is that they are usually available in every household and can be used or prepared by anyone without authorization. For example, if the right type of tea is used as a mouthwash, it is anti-inflammatory. When properly prepared, a spice like ginger can support the immune system. If a person with a fever spares himself and takes enough fluids, this also counts as a home remedy, as he can carry out these measures without a doctor's prescription.

Also read the article on the topic: Treatment of cold sores

These home remedies can be used

From the outset, it should be emphasized that cold sores do not normally require treatment and will resolve on their own within approx. 14 days. In addition, when using home remedies, the duration of the blisters cannot be shortened, so that various remedies are more likely to alleviate symptoms. In addition to the optical disfigurement caused by the blisters in the lip area, the skin symptoms often itch and ooze. Here it can help to apply zinc ointment in a thin film. The trace element zinc promotes wound healing and soothes inflamed skin.

If pain in the lip area is more of the problem, different types of tea can alleviate the symptoms. Here it is important to use the tea at maximum lukewarm. It is advisable to prepare the teabag in a cup as if you were drinking tea and to wait until the desired temperature is reached. Then the tea bag should be gently wrung out and dabbed on the affected area. Chamomile tea or black tea are particularly suitable here, although the use should be stopped in the event of allergic reactions in the wound area. All other home remedies like honey or ginger tend to work from within by strengthening the immune system. The most important thing to do with cold sores is to avoid any contact with the affected area. This means that those affected should neither touch the area themselves nor kiss others, so that the pathogen cannot be transmitted through a smear infection.

Read more on the subject at: Home remedies for herpes

ginger

Ginger can strengthen the immune system against cold sores. It doesn't matter how the ginger is prepared and consumed. Thanks to its essential oils and enzymes, it can act like a pain reliever from within, although its effect is much less than that of commercially available preparations such as e.g. Ibuprofen is available from the pharmacy. Nevertheless, it is also anti-inflammatory and can relieve the symptoms of cold sores.

Salt rinse

Salt rinsing is not recommended for cold sores. For one, the saline solution irritates the sore spot on the lips. On the other hand, it is useless against the causative agent of fever blisters - the herpes virus. The use of a salt rinse therefore only has negative effects. Although it may dry out the wound in the first effect, the inflammatory reaction is locally intensified by the salt. The effect is that the wound will ooze more than before.

honey

Whether honey is suitable as a home remedy for cold sores depends entirely on how it is used. As an addition to tea, it can strengthen the immune system from within thanks to the enzymes it contains. However, if it is applied directly to the blisters, it does not promote wound healing, as its sticky texture creates a non-breathable wound pad under which the inflammation cannot heal well. In addition, quite a number of those affected are allergic to the external use of honey on wounds.

Tea tree oil

It is not recommended to use tea tree oil on cold sores. Tea tree oil is in itself a very odorous and strong essential oil. If you apply it to an area of ​​skin where the normal skin barrier is no longer intact, it irritates the wound tissue. The oil promotes wound secretion and inflammatory cells recognize the essential ingredients as foreign substances. The already existing inflammatory reaction is reactively intensified and the skin changes in the area of ​​the lip become larger.

toothpaste

Toothpaste won't help against cold sores. The idea behind the use of toothpaste is that it eliminates bacteria, and in particular caries pathogens, in the mouth and is therefore also effective against the pathogen causing fever blisters. The causative agent of the fever blisters, however, is a virus (precisely: herpes virus), which is insensitive to toothpaste. Although toothpaste usually contains a small amount of zinc in the form of zinc chloride, this is not enough to promote wound healing when applied locally. So it's a wives' tale that toothpaste helps against cold sores.

Further information can be found at: Toothpaste for herpes

Zinc ointment

Zinc ointment is a good home remedy for cold sores in the right dosage. Zinc is an important trace element in our body that is sometimes involved in wound healing. However, it is important to always apply the zinc ointment in a thin film so that zinc can be absorbed without the ointment hindering the "breathing of the skin". In order for a weeping fever blister to heal, its fluid must be released to the outside and the tissue must be able to regenerate from the inside. This does not work if the surface of the wound is always kept very "soft" by the ointment. The formation of crusts is to a certain extent important for the healing process.

This article might also interest you: Cold sore creams

Black tea is known for its tannins. They are said to have an anti-inflammatory effect, which can also have a positive effect on the severity of symptoms in the case of fever blisters. It does not matter how the tannins are absorbed. They can therefore be used externally in the form of a soaked tea bag on the wound or internally as tea. When used externally, however, attention should be paid to allergic reactions and, if necessary, the treatment should be discontinued.

Aloe vera

It is not advisable to use aloe vera or products that are high in aloe vera on cold sores. Although the plant is said to have moisturizing and anti-inflammatory effects, the absorption of its ingredients through the skin is very limited. If it is used on a skin surface that is no longer intact, such as a ruptured fever blister, those affected tend to be allergic to the plant. In addition, their ingredients have no influence on the causative agent of fever blisters.