Condition
Cold sores
Recurrent blisters around the lips caused by the herpes simplex virus.
See a clinician
Some causes of cold sores need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- Sores near the eye, widespread blisters, or in someone immunocompromised — seek care.
What may help
Remedies studied for cold sores, ranked by strength of evidence.
- C Lemon balm herb
A standardized topical lemon balm cream eased cold-sore symptoms and sped healing versus placebo in two small trials of one extract.
- C Lysine supplement
Some older RCTs (~1 g/day or more) reported fewer recurrences, but others and the Cochrane review found no benefit and rated the evidence very low quality; it does not speed healing.
Recurrent blisters around the lips caused by the herpes simplex virus. This is a reference stub — evidence-graded remedies for it are not yet curated here.
Background: MedlinePlus (public domain).