Cankers and cold sores are very different, but are often lumped together because they afflict the mouth. Cankers are small ulcers in your mouth that are caused by viruses. There may be one or many, often in a yellowish color, presenting as raised little bumps you will feel with your tongue.
Cold sores are common and caused by the herpes simplex virus. They are highly contagious. They most often appear on the lip as red blisters and there is no way to prevent or cure them. But, in both cases, you could heal the problem more quickly through herbal medicine.
For cankers, try these:
— Licorice (DGL): Use deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) to heal those cankers quickly. The bump won’t go away that fast, but its annoying discomfort could subside. Mix DGL with warm water and swish it around in your mouth for a few minutes. Take about 200 mg of DGL powder and 200 ml of water. This DGL mixture is made by combining 200 mg of powdered DGL and 200 ml of warm water. Spit it out after swishing.
— Chamomile: Its inherent healing properties could help eliminate a canker sore. Make an overly strong tea (because it can’t hurt) from leaves or from a chamomile tincture and swish it about your mouth before swallowing, making sure the cankers get a good drenching.
— Echinacea: Echinacea is an antiviral, immune enhancer and wound healer, making it a good choice for fighting canker sores on contact. Buy the liquid herb and swish around four ml around your mouth for a few minutes. You can swallow afterward.
— Calendula: Also called marigold, this plant is an anti-inflammatory and wound healer. Tea made from the flowers could significantly limit the discomfort of canker sores. Boil two teaspoons of flowers and steep for 15 minutes, then swish it around in your mouth a few times a day.
For cold sores, try these:
— Lemon Balm: The cream heals blisters better than typical skin creams. Apply it two to four times a day and that cold sore could go away fast. It also limits any itching, swelling and burning right away.
— Aloe Vera: This cream could heal cold sores, and has been studied to heal them rapidly in more people than regular cream. Aloe is often more effective than anything else in limiting the duration.
— Witch Hazel: This shrub contains proanthocyanidins — a big word for a substance that has proven to be an antiviral in the herpes fight. Those with cold sores can rub a cream with just two percent witch hazel bark extract in it, and could find significant reduction in the size and spread of those sores quicker than with other methods.
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