Home >> Canker sore
There is no one thing. There is no cure. You can prevent them and treat them in the same way; nutritionally. Here is my personal take on the canker diet, which I've done tons of research on.
Canker sores appear for a variety of reasons that are all nutritionally based. Whether you bit the inside of your mouth, or they just appear, they are caused by an imbalance in your wellness. It could even be emotional (a la "stress," which is a word I dislike because of it's all-encompassing vagueness).
The teabag doesn't work well for me, although I believe in the balancing effects of the tannins in tea. Your alkalinity has a lot to do with canker sores. Thats why its a good idea to pause your meat (& fish) consumption. However, an imbalance in iron can also cause canker sores. If you are a male, seek consultation or "be careful" when supplementing iron.
I've recently discovered the homeopathic remedy "Borax" which I believe is effective. In the pellet-form from the health-food store, homeopathy is one of the easiest, tastiest and most effective forms of medicine.
I've had (sea) salt water do the trick in a day. Other times I'm waiting days while it burns like hell. In a similar fashion, I've used a goldenseal tincture (*not alcohol-based*) that I've found potentially helpful. That reminds me, SLS in your toothpaste is not good for you. Use toothpaste without it. Lysterine, I generally don't use because I use a Jason mouthwash that I like better. Another tincture, if you can find it in a non-alcohol form, is Propolis, and it is absolutely amazing (made by bees, no wonder!)
Raw onions are good for canker sores. Salad is alkalizing, and goes great with raw onions! Oh yeah, and this is maybe the BEST: PROBIOTICS (Acidophilus). Yogurt, kefer, cottage cheese, someone else mentioned brie? Haven't tried that.
Kombucha too! yummy! if you don't know about this stuff, find someone at the hippy-covered health-food store to show you where these things are. Of course, what is even better are the home-made versions of all these delicious foods.
Vitamin C & Garlic.
"Wellness Formula" from the health-food store (as opposed to a supermarket) is quite possibly the best formula of herbs & vatimins ever created. Almost the cure for the common cold, it is an amazing immune booster. Of course, WF is comprised mostly of Vitamin C and Garlic, but the rest of it is truly top-notch.
Other plants/teas that will help: licorice root, myrrh (hasn't been so effective for me, but I believe in it), red raspberry leaf, B-vitamins! (I knows those aren't plants, but eat a B-complex supplement with all the B's.) I supplement with a b-complex (and multivitamins, etc) on a daily basis year-round because they are awesome - do NOT underestimate the power of the B's and supplementing your diet in general. Shaklee makes the best vitamins.
Zinc lozenges may be helpful, but zinc for sure enhances the immune function and may aid in healing.
So basically, if you're desperate like I've been when those painful, week-long-lasting canker sores set in, you'll do what you can. I've full-out changed my diet. That reminds me, canker sores are also presumed to allergy related. Allergies actually range from un-noticeable "intolerances" to kiss-someone-who-ate-a-peanut-and-die. Investigate your diet, let your food be your medicine.
It is important to eat local, organic food. If I haven't lost you yet, I'll continue to press one more time about the alkalinity. If you are unsure about what foods are acidic and which are alkalizing, look it up. If you are unsure of your alkalinity, get some litmus paper or something:)
oh yeah, I hear honey is good! and yes, we're talking about FRESH LOCAL honey from your local farmer's market or co-op market. ...wildflower-power baby! I'm gonna go eat some right now:)
I was eating brie for about a year and was not getting canker sores. But I had stopped for a few weeks and was getting a lot of sores and then after I realized it may be the cheese, I tried eating again and the canker sores were gone. Brie is made with mold and even the same genus as the famous antibiotic penicillium producing mold. Might be something about the bacterial and mold cultures in cheese.
My husband suffered from terrible canker sores his entire life. He would get 4-5 open sores at a time and be in so much pain. We went through kankaid like you would not believe, until researching on the Internet I discovered that peroxide helps. So we switched to crest peroxide and baking soda toothpaste. That was 2 years ago and unless he eats raw tomatoes he does not get canker sores any more, and even then they are not as severe as before if he brushes his teeth immediately after eating. Give it a try. I feel for anyone that suffers with this problem after seeing my husband suffer for so many years.
I had my tonsils out when I was 12 years old but before I had them out, I was pumped with so much antibiotics for a few years that one time the whole inside if my mouth broke out with those canker sores. the dr prescribed milk tabs and when that did not work he suggested I eat a bowl of cottage cheese. 24 hours later they were all gone!! now everytime I get one I eat the cottage cheese. one of my daughters gets chronic canker sores but won't eat cottage cheese but will eat yogurt which seems to help. I also talked her into putting a q-tip with peroxide directly on the sore till it bubbled and she was surprised it worked!
OK so this might seem weird but it really works. You put teaspoon of peanut butter in a bowl and a 1/3 of a teaspoon of pickle juice and a pinch of salt on canker sore for 3 minutes...it may taste strange but guaranteed to work.. and sting may occur if pain is already on the canker sore... and I hope your canker gets better.
I have been getting canker sores all my life but lately, after having kids I have been getting them more often and sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. They last about a week or more and are extremely painful. Then my sister told me she read once that some people get canker sores because they have an iron deficiency. I did not believe her at first but decided to give it a try. I waited for a sore and took the iron supplements as soon as I felt it and voila! the sore healed with minimal pain within 2 or 3 days at the most. I now take a women's one a day vitamin supplement (actually it's a prenatal vitamin although I am not expecting) and it works every time. I know this remedy is not for everyone but it's worth a try.
Listerine clears it but it burrnnnsss alloooot not good for children because it does sting alot. You get mouthwash and wash your mouth with it and then just swish for about 3 minutes don't worry after 15 seconds it numbs it.
The remedy is simple.
I just found this remedy this morning at 4:30 when I couldn't sleep from a terrible canker sore on the very tip of my tongue. Fresh, raw honey. The good stuff, not the fake clover honey. My tongue instantly felt better and the swelling went down and I was able to go to sleep. I don't know why it works, but boy oh boy did it work. It doesn't sting or burn.
I have tried so many different to treat my multiple and painful canker sores, some natural and some not. I tried whatever you can think of what you can see on internet and what you can hear from people. I was on my way to buy some L-lysine to help reduce and accelerate the healing process.
So I asked the pharmacist where could I find the L-lysine and he showed me....... knowing why I wanted the lysine, he suggested me the myrrh tincture (20% myrrh and the rest is purified and alcohol) You put the cotton swab or Q-tip in the tincture and apply it on every sore for about 5-10 seconds. Applied twice a day during two days my sores were completely gone!! Even after one application there was such a relief and I could eat with no pain. I still use L-lysine and continue to use it as prevention. Just great.
I have had cankers my entire life. Pretty severe at times where they have covered my mouth, throat, & into my sinus cavities. I do use L-Lysine, peroxide based mouthwash, & SLS free toothpaste & but I still get them. For me, anything that burns them, prolongs them. A nurse mentioned this idea to me & it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. She explained that Cankers are actually Ulcers or Lesions. What do people do for ulcers in their stomach? They take antacids like Maalox. So, if you mix Maalox & childrens liquid benadryl 50/50 & gargle it, you will get instant numbing from the benadryl & a protective coating from the maalox. I'm not sure on the details of the Benadryl, but I think it also helps since it is an antihistamine & sometimes cankers are due to allergies. None the less, very simple & inexpensive too! Spit out after gargling & swishing. Use as needed. *Bonus is it's cherry flavored & it doesn't hurt so it can be helpful for children if they know how to spit it out.
Two methods I have found to be very effective. 1) If its at the tingle stage dab with perfume and it wont appear at all!!
2) If its already there then mix up some toothpaste and salt and dab it on the sore! Gone overnight =D
One shot and done. Hurts when you do it, but worth it. It basically chemically burns/seals the ulcer. It does bleach the area for a little while so I don't know if i would do it if the sore is close to visible area. Also be sure to read instructions carefully.... Do a search for it. It became OTC recently, before that it was hard to get. Again, stings like a mo fo for half a minute but canker is gone after that.
For most people there's an insignificant ingredient in toothpastes that causes canker sores that you can Google...it does nothing more than create bubbles (or something like that) and it's also an ingredient in other foods...certain sweets are one of them
I'm 44 and had persistent canker sores all my life until...a) I switched my toothpaste to Rembrandt sensitive (Google it)...it's actually labeled as a canker sore formula...there may be others...and b) I changed my diet to eliminate a lot of processed sugar foods.
If you have a canker put your finger under water and get it soaking wet. After that put your finger in salt and put it on your canker. It'll sting but the canker will go away or not sting when you eat.
I found that putting a BC powder on the canker sore will burn like a no joke but make the sore go away in as little as one day. It works really really well.
Cures And Remedies For Canker sore
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The Canker Diet
Scott at hoopdrum.com in Carrboro, NC USA -There is no one thing. There is no cure. You can prevent them and treat them in the same way; nutritionally. Here is my personal take on the canker diet, which I've done tons of research on.
Canker sores appear for a variety of reasons that are all nutritionally based. Whether you bit the inside of your mouth, or they just appear, they are caused by an imbalance in your wellness. It could even be emotional (a la "stress," which is a word I dislike because of it's all-encompassing vagueness).
The teabag doesn't work well for me, although I believe in the balancing effects of the tannins in tea. Your alkalinity has a lot to do with canker sores. Thats why its a good idea to pause your meat (& fish) consumption. However, an imbalance in iron can also cause canker sores. If you are a male, seek consultation or "be careful" when supplementing iron.
I've recently discovered the homeopathic remedy "Borax" which I believe is effective. In the pellet-form from the health-food store, homeopathy is one of the easiest, tastiest and most effective forms of medicine.
I've had (sea) salt water do the trick in a day. Other times I'm waiting days while it burns like hell. In a similar fashion, I've used a goldenseal tincture (*not alcohol-based*) that I've found potentially helpful. That reminds me, SLS in your toothpaste is not good for you. Use toothpaste without it. Lysterine, I generally don't use because I use a Jason mouthwash that I like better. Another tincture, if you can find it in a non-alcohol form, is Propolis, and it is absolutely amazing (made by bees, no wonder!)
Raw onions are good for canker sores. Salad is alkalizing, and goes great with raw onions! Oh yeah, and this is maybe the BEST: PROBIOTICS (Acidophilus). Yogurt, kefer, cottage cheese, someone else mentioned brie? Haven't tried that.
Kombucha too! yummy! if you don't know about this stuff, find someone at the hippy-covered health-food store to show you where these things are. Of course, what is even better are the home-made versions of all these delicious foods.
Vitamin C & Garlic.
"Wellness Formula" from the health-food store (as opposed to a supermarket) is quite possibly the best formula of herbs & vatimins ever created. Almost the cure for the common cold, it is an amazing immune booster. Of course, WF is comprised mostly of Vitamin C and Garlic, but the rest of it is truly top-notch.
Other plants/teas that will help: licorice root, myrrh (hasn't been so effective for me, but I believe in it), red raspberry leaf, B-vitamins! (I knows those aren't plants, but eat a B-complex supplement with all the B's.) I supplement with a b-complex (and multivitamins, etc) on a daily basis year-round because they are awesome - do NOT underestimate the power of the B's and supplementing your diet in general. Shaklee makes the best vitamins.
Zinc lozenges may be helpful, but zinc for sure enhances the immune function and may aid in healing.
So basically, if you're desperate like I've been when those painful, week-long-lasting canker sores set in, you'll do what you can. I've full-out changed my diet. That reminds me, canker sores are also presumed to allergy related. Allergies actually range from un-noticeable "intolerances" to kiss-someone-who-ate-a-peanut-and-die. Investigate your diet, let your food be your medicine.
It is important to eat local, organic food. If I haven't lost you yet, I'll continue to press one more time about the alkalinity. If you are unsure about what foods are acidic and which are alkalizing, look it up. If you are unsure of your alkalinity, get some litmus paper or something:)
oh yeah, I hear honey is good! and yes, we're talking about FRESH LOCAL honey from your local farmer's market or co-op market. ...wildflower-power baby! I'm gonna go eat some right now:)
Apr 06, 2011
3 Yes
0 No
Cheese
Mike in Livermore, CA -I was eating brie for about a year and was not getting canker sores. But I had stopped for a few weeks and was getting a lot of sores and then after I realized it may be the cheese, I tried eating again and the canker sores were gone. Brie is made with mold and even the same genus as the famous antibiotic penicillium producing mold. Might be something about the bacterial and mold cultures in cheese.
Sep 13, 2010
2 Yes
0 No
Canker sores no more
Linda in clear lake wisconsin -My husband suffered from terrible canker sores his entire life. He would get 4-5 open sores at a time and be in so much pain. We went through kankaid like you would not believe, until researching on the Internet I discovered that peroxide helps. So we switched to crest peroxide and baking soda toothpaste. That was 2 years ago and unless he eats raw tomatoes he does not get canker sores any more, and even then they are not as severe as before if he brushes his teeth immediately after eating. Give it a try. I feel for anyone that suffers with this problem after seeing my husband suffer for so many years.
Aug 22, 2010
2 Yes
0 No
cottage cheese/peroxide
mona in parker colorado -I had my tonsils out when I was 12 years old but before I had them out, I was pumped with so much antibiotics for a few years that one time the whole inside if my mouth broke out with those canker sores. the dr prescribed milk tabs and when that did not work he suggested I eat a bowl of cottage cheese. 24 hours later they were all gone!! now everytime I get one I eat the cottage cheese. one of my daughters gets chronic canker sores but won't eat cottage cheese but will eat yogurt which seems to help. I also talked her into putting a q-tip with peroxide directly on the sore till it bubbled and she was surprised it worked!
Aug 07, 2010
0 Yes
0 No
Amazing Canker
Nancy in Orlando, Florida, USA -OK so this might seem weird but it really works. You put teaspoon of peanut butter in a bowl and a 1/3 of a teaspoon of pickle juice and a pinch of salt on canker sore for 3 minutes...it may taste strange but guaranteed to work.. and sting may occur if pain is already on the canker sore... and I hope your canker gets better.
Mar 05, 2010
1 Yes
0 No
My remedy is vitamins!
Sarah C in NYC -I have been getting canker sores all my life but lately, after having kids I have been getting them more often and sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. They last about a week or more and are extremely painful. Then my sister told me she read once that some people get canker sores because they have an iron deficiency. I did not believe her at first but decided to give it a try. I waited for a sore and took the iron supplements as soon as I felt it and voila! the sore healed with minimal pain within 2 or 3 days at the most. I now take a women's one a day vitamin supplement (actually it's a prenatal vitamin although I am not expecting) and it works every time. I know this remedy is not for everyone but it's worth a try.
Feb 12, 2010
3 Yes
2 No
Listerine
JG in US -Listerine clears it but it burrnnnsss alloooot not good for children because it does sting alot. You get mouthwash and wash your mouth with it and then just swish for about 3 minutes don't worry after 15 seconds it numbs it.
The remedy is simple.
Feb 12, 2010
1 Yes
0 No
Honey
Emily Retz in Clintonville, WI USA -I just found this remedy this morning at 4:30 when I couldn't sleep from a terrible canker sore on the very tip of my tongue. Fresh, raw honey. The good stuff, not the fake clover honey. My tongue instantly felt better and the swelling went down and I was able to go to sleep. I don't know why it works, but boy oh boy did it work. It doesn't sting or burn.
Jan 13, 2010
12 Yes
4 No
myrrh tincture, what a revelation!!!
alex in Seattle, WA USA -I have tried so many different to treat my multiple and painful canker sores, some natural and some not. I tried whatever you can think of what you can see on internet and what you can hear from people. I was on my way to buy some L-lysine to help reduce and accelerate the healing process.
So I asked the pharmacist where could I find the L-lysine and he showed me....... knowing why I wanted the lysine, he suggested me the myrrh tincture (20% myrrh and the rest is purified and alcohol) You put the cotton swab or Q-tip in the tincture and apply it on every sore for about 5-10 seconds. Applied twice a day during two days my sores were completely gone!! Even after one application there was such a relief and I could eat with no pain. I still use L-lysine and continue to use it as prevention. Just great.
Jan 07, 2010
8 Yes
0 No
Maalox & liquid benadryl
KellyKelly Kelly in Minneapolis, MN USA -I have had cankers my entire life. Pretty severe at times where they have covered my mouth, throat, & into my sinus cavities. I do use L-Lysine, peroxide based mouthwash, & SLS free toothpaste & but I still get them. For me, anything that burns them, prolongs them. A nurse mentioned this idea to me & it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. She explained that Cankers are actually Ulcers or Lesions. What do people do for ulcers in their stomach? They take antacids like Maalox. So, if you mix Maalox & childrens liquid benadryl 50/50 & gargle it, you will get instant numbing from the benadryl & a protective coating from the maalox. I'm not sure on the details of the Benadryl, but I think it also helps since it is an antihistamine & sometimes cankers are due to allergies. None the less, very simple & inexpensive too! Spit out after gargling & swishing. Use as needed. *Bonus is it's cherry flavored & it doesn't hurt so it can be helpful for children if they know how to spit it out.
Dec 12, 2009
6 Yes
3 No
It really works!!!
Aoife in Ireland!! -Two methods I have found to be very effective. 1) If its at the tingle stage dab with perfume and it wont appear at all!!
2) If its already there then mix up some toothpaste and salt and dab it on the sore! Gone overnight =D
Nov 27, 2009
3 Yes
4 No
Debacterol
Batfellas in Long Island, NY -One shot and done. Hurts when you do it, but worth it. It basically chemically burns/seals the ulcer. It does bleach the area for a little while so I don't know if i would do it if the sore is close to visible area. Also be sure to read instructions carefully.... Do a search for it. It became OTC recently, before that it was hard to get. Again, stings like a mo fo for half a minute but canker is gone after that.
Jul 30, 2009
2 Yes
230 No
Rembrandt Toothpaste
Bubba in Maryland -For most people there's an insignificant ingredient in toothpastes that causes canker sores that you can Google...it does nothing more than create bubbles (or something like that) and it's also an ingredient in other foods...certain sweets are one of them
I'm 44 and had persistent canker sores all my life until...a) I switched my toothpaste to Rembrandt sensitive (Google it)...it's actually labeled as a canker sore formula...there may be others...and b) I changed my diet to eliminate a lot of processed sugar foods.
Jul 19, 2009
6 Yes
5 No
Salt Sting
Shelby in Anytown, AT 55555 -If you have a canker put your finger under water and get it soaking wet. After that put your finger in salt and put it on your canker. It'll sting but the canker will go away or not sting when you eat.
Jul 06, 2009
38 Yes
4 No
BC BABY
sam in usa -I found that putting a BC powder on the canker sore will burn like a no joke but make the sore go away in as little as one day. It works really really well.
Jun 22, 2009
15 Yes
0 No
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