What do chocolate, sunshine, and stress have in common?
They — along with many other things — can all trigger cold sores.
Some people can go years without experiencing more than one flare-up. But unfortunately, a trigger can unexpectedly end that streak— and usually at the least opportune moment (think picture day, prom, an important presentation at work, or your high school reunion).
Cold sores (some call them fever blisters) are caused by the herpes simplex one virus (HSV1), a variation of which (HSV2) is responsible for genital herpes previously discussed on my blog.
With cold sores, however, the treatment is different. In my experience, Antimonium crud 6 every three hours for two to three days has consistently worked best. Frankly, it’s pretty much a slam dunk.
But as we discussed last week, in homeopathy there is usually more than one way to skin a cat. If the cold sores are sun-induced, then in addition to the Ant crud protocol, I would add Natrum muriaticum 6 twice a day. (Nat mur is for people who are super sensitive to the sun.)
Alternatively, I also like Rhus tox 30, but my favorite go-to is Antimonium crud.
I’m reminded of the story of one mom whose teenage son suffered from cold sores. Sometimes, they were ushered in as he caught a cold, or sometimes, they were a result of his bingeing chocolate or junk food. His mom was certainly eager to help him with homeopathy.
However, when she realized that her son’s primary motivation was that his girlfriend wouldn’t kiss him while he had a cold sore, Mom thought about stepping back and letting it heal sloooowly.
Between you and me, Mom admittedly wasn’t fond of the idea that he had started smooching, so we toyed with the idea of letting the girls at school just think he had cooties!
But considering cold sores are painful, as well as unsightly, in the end, Mom couldn’t let her boy suffer. She gave him the Antimonium crud and within a couple of days, it was gone. (And so were the cooties that might have kept the young girls at bay.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. His cold sores were not “cured” after this first treatment. But each time another one developed, she gave him the Ant crud again. And each time, we assume that the remedy goes deeper.
Each subsequent cold sore may have looked just as bad and felt just as tingly and uncomfortable, but the flare-up would last a shorter amount of time and would not recur as quickly.
Now her son gets a cold sore maybe once a year, rather than every two months!
That’s how we want to set our expectations with cold sores.
We can count on homeopathy to lessen their frequency and duration so that they become inconsequential — just a blip on the radar of life…perhaps assigning them to every few years instead of every month.
But, as always, I’ll defer to your parental judgment as to whether you want to share this solution with your kissable teenagers. Sometimes, being young and beautiful can be a dangerous thing. An occasional case of the cooties might not be all that bad!
Warmly,
P.S. Issues of the skin — and their corresponding homeopathic protocols — are discussed in my course, Skin: The Ugly Truth: Safe, Effective Treatment of Skin Ailments, Chronic or Acute, with Homeopathy.
This blog post taught you how to address cold sores, but I encourage you to continue your education. Learn as much as you can about other skin ailments. At the very least, click through to the course page and sign up for a free infographic listing homeopathic remedies for 15 of the most common skin conditions.
Even if you don’t have a skin condition at the moment, it’s wise to be prepared when one unexpectedly strikes!
What about merc sol 200c twice a day? I thought that was a good one or a go to for cold sores? Maybe I got confused!
It is also a good choice. There are many ways to skin a cat.
This for genital hsv to?
Thank you for your wonderful blog! How would you treat Viral stomatitis in The throat (I think, it is the same virus). I have been giving my son (when he was sick) Phosphorus and Calcarea Carbonicum. Hoping, I was right!
Hi Joette,
I have a suggestion. I love the sets of homeopathic remedies that you sell. Very compact, reasonably priced, and so useful to have right there when you need them. In your bog posts you often recommend remedies in a 3 or 6C, and those are very hard to find commercially. What if you created a box of the remedies in those potencies that you think might be most useful for you clientele to have? I would definitely buy it!
They may be purchased from a pharmacy that my personal clients and students have access to. If you decide to join one of my study groups or courses, you’ll have access.
I think I saw tellurium 200 in one of your courses or posts. That one has worked on my husband and my friend. Each is experiencing that the sore comes back WAY, WAY less frequently, and it is less intense when it does come back, and a couple of doses of the remedy gets rid of it. The friend used to get it every few months and now maybe once a year lasting a day or so.
Are there ways to strengthen the body/immune system with homeopathy so that you are resistant to viruses? Or is that just thru diet, getting enough sleep/exercise and avoiding toxins?
Thanx
Yes, there are methods and I teach them in my course, The Antibiotic Alternative.
Is a cold sore different than a canker sore? What my son gets is inside his mouth. He gets them often and I have tried borax 30C but can’t tell that it has helped. Not sure I have given it often enough though.
THey are different.
Thanks for writing about this! I’ve had cold sores off and on for over thirty years. The last outbreak was just a few weeks ago and a strange thing happened. The cold sore had advanced to the point of swelling and getting that dreaded “bubble” already and I didn’t even think of helping it along with anything but took arsenicum album 200c for a different issue I was having. Within 20 minutes the tingling in my lip was gone and three hours later the “bubble” was gone. The sore never appeared after that! I’m wondering if I get another sore soon do I take arsenicum again? Or was that just a fluke?
I can’t tell you what it was, but if its indeed a cold sore, this is the remedy I use.
I’ve never had cold sores, but canker sores (inside the mouth) have plagued me for years. Would that be the same remedy, or is it a different one?
I took the Hyland’s Cold Sores & Fever Blisters which includes Antimonium Crudum 6x but it didn’t work. Would it be better if Antimonium Crudum 6x is taken separately? Or it’s just this remedy doesn’t work for me? Thanks!
I can’t say but it might be worth trying AC alone before moving on to another protocol.
Hello Joette!
Would a cold sore (herpies complex) on the eye respond the same as on the mouth, using Ant Crud 6 every 3 hours?
If K only have a 30C Antimonium Crud remedy on hand, would that be okay for a cold sore?
You may use whatever potency you have but I can’t say whether the results will be as satisfactory.
My 3-1/2 yr. old grandson has a cold sore on his lip, can I use this remedy on him?
In general, we use homeopathic medicines for all ages, including even newborns.
My son has a cold sore and I’m treating with ant Crud 6 but he may have exposed my new 7 week old infant. This is very serious from what I’ve read for a young baby. I’m trying to prepare today for how to treat him if this is the case. The virus presents itself in a baby as a high fever, painful throat, gastrointestinal pain, diarrhea. I’m thinking of using Belladona and Ant. Crud alternatively. Does this sound like a good plan?
Hi Joette. My husband has had a herpes simplex infection on the web of his right thumb and index finger for about 40 years, something he aquired from hospital work. He uses a nosode spray and sepia 30 with fairly good results. However, I think I will get him to use what you mention here to see if he has a better response to it. Thanks
Hello Joette
A million thank yous for all the work you have done and a are doing! Do you address optical herpes anywhere? My 7 y\o daughter has had it since she was 6 months old and it has effected her vision. We have found oatmeal & peanut butter bring it out and since we have eliminatedecided these and give her a daily Lysine the frequency has diminished but I’d really like to uproot the virus. Do you discuss optical herpes in any of your blogs? If not, could you? Would the scars on the cornea be reversible? Thank you!
On this blog, my F.Book Live presentations and podcasts, my goal is to teach as much as I can for conditions that can be readily learned. However, certain conditions require a more skilled and seasoned hand and this is one of them. This only means there is more complexity to the process, NOT necessarily that there is no end to the condition.
Should you decide to work with someone like me directly, feel free to contact my office.
Thank you for your speedy reply! I wondered about that. I will contact your office and I look forward to working with you.
Would this be the same remedy for mat herpes which I believe is HSV1. My son in law gets this on his forehead every so often from wrestling for many years.
I’m not an epidemiologist so I can’t speak with authority on which herpes this would be.
Cold sore remedy is SPOT ON. I get them from what you said – sun, chocolate or stress. It matters not! Antimon. Crud. 6 works perfect every time. From the first “tingling” (and those who get them, know what I’m talking about), to 100% GONE within 24 hours. THANK YOU Joette Calabrese ❤❤❤
Thank you so much for this, Joette! It is such a powerful protocol! I have a question for you: would this protocol work for rosea pityriasis (a rash that can develop after a cold)? Thank you!