Cold sores or fever blisters are tiny, painful and fluid-filled blisters that occur on and around lips, mouth, chin, and nose. Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV – 1) is a contagious virus that causes cold sores on the skin and can spread through close personal contact.
However, the virus remains dormant in the body even after curing cold sores and attack again whenever you have weak immune system, stress, suffering from any health problem, hormonal changes, fever, etc.
So, the usage of over the counter medications regularly will cause side effects on your body. So, the best advice is to choose easily available natural home remedy like garlic for treating your cold sores.
Garlic not only enhances the taste of your cooking but also protects your health by curing many problems, including cold sores. Don’t you believe? Then have a look on its amazing properties which makes it as an excellent cold sore remedy.
- It contains enzymes that have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties that speed up the healing process and cures cold sores.
- It has a compound called kyolic which contains anti-viral properties that fight against the virus to get rid of the problem.
- Allicin is a chemical compound present in garlic that helps to reduce the swelling, inflammation and pain caused due to cold sores.
- It contains indole – 3 – carbinol (I3C) that boost up the immune system to prevent cold sores along with its recurrence. It also has many essential nutrients for enhancing immunity.
- It deeply penetrates into the skin to prevent the problem from the roots.
Now, you got an idea on how garlic cures cold sores but don’t know how to use garlic for cold sores? So, here we are providing 3 best and time tested garlic methods below that surely give relief from the problem.
Method – 1: (Garlic Cloves – Topical Application)
Applying garlic cloves directly on the affected areas will prevent the cold sores very effectively and quickly.
Steps to be followed…
- Take a garlic clove and cut it into two pieces / slices.
- Place these garlic pieces directly on the cold sores.
- Let it sit for about 10 – 15 minutes and take it out.
- Be sure that it might sting a little when applied for the first time.
- Regular application of the garlic pieces on cold sores for 2 – 3 times a day will cure the problem.
Note:
- Or place garlic slices and rub it gently for few minutes to speed up the healing process.
- Alternatively, finely crush few garlic cloves to make a paste. Apply this paste on the affected areas and rinse it with water after few minutes to clear cold sores on the skin. Store the remaining paste in an empty lip balm and use it regularly.
- Or simply apply fresh garlic juice on affected areas by using cotton ball. You can crush the clove with a base of knife to release juice and place it on affected areas.
Method – 2: (Garlic Mask with Honey)
Honey has soothing property that not only reduces the pain or discomfort caused by cold sores but also reduces the acidic nature of garlic to prevent the stinging sensation on the skin.
Steps to be followed…
- Crush few garlic cloves to make it fine paste and mix it in 1 teaspoon of raw honey.
- Stir it well and apply this mix on the affected skin areas.
- Leave it on for few minutes until the mix has dried on skin.
- Wash off with water and pat the skin dry.
- Continue doing the same process regularly till you got complete cure from cold sores.
Note: Or you can also add olive oil instead of honey and follow the same process.
Method – 3: (Garlic – Internal Intake)
Consuming garlic can help to boost up the immunity to fight against the virus and to get relief from inside out. Here are some garlic recipes which help you in getting rid of the problem.
- Include gargle in your soups, curries, bread, rice items, salads, salsa, etc. as a part of your daily diet.
- Blend 3 – 5 garlic cloves and mix it well in 1 cup of water. Drink this water regularly for few days to get relief from not only cold sores but also from many health problems.
- Avocado and garlic have excellent nutritional levels that help the immune system to fight against the herpes virus. Mix garlic (crushed or minced or juice) in avocado puree. Consume this mix regularly for getting best results over cold sores.
Tips and Warnings:
- If you don’t want to taste the garlic or avoid stinging sensation on the skin, then simply go for a supplement. Take 500 mg pills for twice a day to speed up the recovery time by 3 – 5 days. But be sure that you might experience bloating, nausea and bad breath as side effects after using garlic.
- Get prepared to experience some burning discomfort while using garlic methods due to its slightly acidic nature.
- It may cause some allergic reaction, so it’s advisable to do skin patch test for knowing whether it causes any allergic reaction or not before using these methods as a cold sore remover.
- It might interact with certain medication, so consult your doctor if you’re on any medications. Also, pregnant or nursing women and children (below 7 years) should not use garlic for cold sore treatment without consulting their doctor.
- Avoid direct application of garlic, if you have sensitive or dry skin to prevent the damage caused to skin rather than curing the problem.
That’s all for now about Garlic on Cold Sores. Hope you liked the garlic methods and will give a trial for curing your sores. Feel free to share your experience with us after using these methods.
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