If you suffer from cold sores regularly then you are familiar with the discomfort and painful blisters an outbreak brings. Finding a home remedy for your cold sores is of the utmost importance when you become aware that an outbreak is going. The signs of an outbreak usually begin with a tingling sensation on your lip. Then you begin to feel the small hard spot that accompanies the tingling and you know in a day or two you will have a painful, ugly, oozing blister on your lip for a good week or more.

A cold sore is normally caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus, although they can be caused by the herpes simplex 2 virus which is more commonly associated with genital herpes. You can get cold sores from someone infected with the virus who has an active blister. You can also get it by sharing eating utensils, towels, drinking glasses, or anything else that may have come in contact with an infected lesion.

There are home remedies for cold sores which have been shown to be affective in treating the symptoms and duration of the outbreaks. Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying any of these home remedies for cold sores, particularly if you are currently taking some form of prescription medication.

Lemon Balm - Has been shown to antiviral properties and helps reduce the healing time of cold sore blisters to around 5 days. It has also been shown to reduce the frequency of new outbreaks.

Warm Tea Bags Pressing a warm tea bag against your blister can bring much needed relief from the pain.

Witch Hazel Has also proven to help relieve the painful symptoms of cold sores.

Lysine An amino acid that is used to make protein which helps boost the bodies immune system. The body cannot make lysine on its own and we must get it from the food we eat or take lysine supplements.

Reishi - A type of mushroom used in Asian medicine to strengthen the immune system and found to help control the spread of the herpes virus. Reishi can be taken in powder or supplement form.

Resveratrol Cream - Made from red grapes, can be applied directly to the site of infection and is affective at suppressing the herpes virus and the outbreak of a cold sore.

Ice Ice is a good way to relieve the pain associated with cold sores. Just gently press a cube against your cold sore for instant relief.

In addition to these home remedies for cold sores your diet can also play an important part in cold sore control. Acidic and salty food can burn when they enter an active blister. Its also important that you eat healthy foods that keep your immune system at its peak. Also take a vitamin supplement because most people do not get the necessary daily amounts of vitamins and minerals.