Cold sores are a type of blister that is typically found in or around the mouth and lips. Cold sores can erupt on the lips, the inside of the cheek and even the gums and tongue. Cold sores are a type of the herpes simplex virus and are extremely contagious. According to the Mayo Clinic, cold sores are also called fever blisters, which is caused by the herpes simplex type 1. In most cases, a cold sore develops slowly, and a person can feel a tender or sore spot and a bump under the surface of the tissues where the cold sore is most likely to erupt. However, there are natural remedies to help reduce the severity and duration of a cold sore eruption that can be found through traditional Chinese medicine. Those interested in taking Chinese herbs to treat cold sores should discuss their use with a health care practitioner experienced in traditional or complementary Chinese medicine to obtain correct dosage according to body weight, condition and severity of condition.
Yin Qiao San
Yin Qiao San is also known in English as honeysuckle and forsythia powder, which has been studied by the Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine for its pharmacological effects. Yin Qiao San is used as an antibiotic to inhibit virus and bacterial infection and as an anti-inflammatory.
Wu Zhu Yu Powder
Wu Zhu Yu powder is also known as evodia and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Researchers in Japan noted that components of the evodia tree, native to China and Korea, can inhibit the growth of some types of bacteria, including H. pylori. Recommended dosage of Wy Zhu Yu powder is approximately 1.5 to 5 grams a day, in boiled water, but in its dried form may also be mixed with other herbs and mixed in tea or sprinkled into food.
Dao Chi Wan
Dao Chi Wan, also known as Red Door teapills, have been traditionally used to treat mouth ulcers and sores, to help restore the balance between yin and yang (cold and hot) in the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, mouth sores like canker sores and cold sores are caused by an excess of heat in the body. Dao Chi Wan contains a variety of herbs, inclduing Sheng di guang (the Rehmannia glutinosa root), Dan Zhu Ye (bamboo leaves) and Gan cao shao (licorice root).
