Waking up to find a big red dot on your face is never a good way to start the day, but knowing a few natural cold sore remedies will help put you back in control. I was reading through a few natural cold sore remedies on Reader’s Digest the other day, and it got me thinking about the wide array of herbal remedies we can find for just about anything. That’s the beauty of herbs. Can’t get ahold of one thing? No problem. There’s always something else to try.
Let’s take a look at a few options you have if those cold sores won’t leave you alone.
Gold Thread (Coptis trifolia): This is perhaps my favorite remedy because it’s a neat and tidy one. At that very first tingle, apply a few drops of gold thread tincture to the area. You can do this liberally and often, so if you’ve got to go to work or chaperone a class field trip or overthrow a small empire, you can take the tincture with you easily. A strong tea of gold thread will work too, but the tincture is far superior in strength.
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea or angustifolia): If repeat outbreaks are an issue for you, echinacea tincture is a good option. Cold sores are actually a result of the herpes simplex virus, and since echinacea has a way of building up the body’s defences, it can help you toss that virus out on its ear. Take 50 – 60 drops of tincture in some water up to three times a day. I like a good root tincture or a whole plant tincture that includes the root. Alternatively, balsamroot tincture can be taken 20 – 50 drops up to four times a day. Just like the echinacea, it helps support the body’s ability to make macrophages, these cool little Pac Man type thingies that gobble up all sorts of virusy badness. (At least, that’s how I envision them…)
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis): No, this isn’t some weak, wimpy grandma tea. Lemon balm packs a fierce punch in the herbal world when you’re not talking old brown leaf crumbles found in tea bags at the grocery store. You can choose to apply the tincture topically several times a day, or you can make the tea from freshly dried leaves (no older than one year maximum) and drink it as often as you choose. It’s really good stuff, trust me. You’ll not only see an improvement in the whole cold sore thingie, you’ll feel a lot better about life in general.
Are these the only herbal remedies out there for cold sore outbreaks? Nope. There are numerous and this is a sampling of a few of the best. It’s a good start to not only building your natural cold sore remedies arsenal, but to learning to rely herbal remedies for chemical-free health.
