Lemon Balm for Cold Sores

Cold sores can be painful and discomforting and they affect millions of people each year. However there are many people that still wonder what they are and how they are caused. If you are affected by cold sores you may be disappointed to find there is no permanent cure for them, though luckily there are still ways to ease them and prevent them from occurring as frequently.

What are Cold Sores

Cold sores are a viral infection that appears most commonly on the lips and are a cluster of small fluid filled blisters that can be painful or give an itchy, burning sensation. They usually occur suddenly and last for a couple days until they scab and dry up. The particular virus they are caused by is the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Unlike other viruses however, once this one enters the body there is no way for the body to defend against it and it remains dormant in the system. Afterwards cold sores will show throughout the life of the person, usually on or inside the mouth.

What Causes Them?

The virus that causes cold sores is usually spread through contact with someone that is affected or by sharing saliva with an affected person. For example, sharing a straw with someone or chewing on a pen that someone else affected has chewed on. HSV can be transmitted even when cold sores are not present. While it is dormant in the body there are no signs that a person has this virus, however when the virus is active it appears on the skin as a cluster of blisters again.

The instances that cause the virus to activate are still not entirely known but there are some things that can be attributed to the appearance of the cold sores. These things include: stress, fevers, colds, the flu, UV exposure, hormonal changes, breaks in the skin, and change in the immune system.

How Lemon Balm Tea Helps

When looking for a natural herbal remedy to ease your cold sores, lemon balm tea is renowned for being one of the best. This is because there is something in lemon balm known as eugenol. Eugenol is efficient in ridding the body of bacteria and can calm muscles as well as give a numb feeling where ever it’s applied. Studies have shown that it can heal and ease the pain and itching of cold sores if applied regularly as well. After preparing a cup of lemon balm tea, you can take a tissue and apply it topically to the affected area in order to get quick relief from the discomfort brought on by the outbreak. Furthermore, it can prevent cold sores from occurring as frequently, which also makes it useful to keep around if you suffer from cold sores on a regular basis.