Cold Sore Remedies That Works

Cold sores are highly contagious, painful, fluid-filled blisters that are usually found in the mouth area - the gums, lips and roof of the mouth. They begin with a slight tingling sensation and quickly turn into small sores that can be very distracting, both because of the pain and irritation they cause, and because on the lips, they look unattractive.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which is not curable. Even though cold sores usually clear up in a week to ten days, cold sore sufferers are always looking for effective cold sore remedies that work well.

If you're searching for cold sore remedies that are natural, you'll want to try the following:

Lysine - Lysine is an amino acid that your body doesn't make on its own, but that helps your body to make protein. Protein is necessary for producing antibodies that help fight infections. Lysine is also helpful in inhibiting the herpes simplex virus, keeping it from getting out of control.

Lysine can be found in foods such as milk and cheese, eggs, fish, red meat and fish. But there is another piece to the puzzle. Lysine needs another amino acid, arginine to work effectively.  

Arginine is found in peanuts and almonds, peanut butter, chicken, turkey and chocolate, among  other foods. The good news is that you can find lysine supplements in the health section of your favorite store, and also lysine ointment that can be applied directly to cold sores. Combined with dietary changes, a supplement or ointment should be effective in shortening the duration of cold sores and helping to prevent future outbreaks.

Resveratrol - Resveratrol is a substance that is found in red grapes. Lately, it has gotten a lot of press as an anti-aging compound, but it has also been found to inhibit the herpes simple virus in laboratories.

Resveratrol, when applied in cream form to the site of a herpes simplex infection was shown to suppress the formation of cold sores. The trick is that you have to apply it within a few hours of infection.

Self-Heal - Self-Heal is the Prunella vulgaris plant and has been shown to be effective against cold sores, reducing their duration.

Bee Propolis - Propolis is the substance that bees use to keep their hives germ-free. It's thought that propolis works against cold sores by creating a barrier that keeps the virus from entering cells and also prohibiting replication of the virus.

When you start to feel that tingling sensation that signals the beginning of a cold sore outbreak, start on your program of natural cold sore remedies as soon as possible. This will help you to head-off outbreaks in the best case, and reduce the duration and severity of an outbreak in the worst case.

One caution: If you're being treated by a doctor for any chronic or serious illness, please consult with him or her before using any cold sore remedies, herbal or otherwise, to be sure they won't conflict with existing treatments.