Is vinegar good for cold sores?
If you’ve ever suffered from a cold sore, you know how difficult and painful it can be. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and can show up on your lips, mouth, or nose. They tend to be tiny clusters of blisters that eventually break open and form a scab.
One household product that many people think may help with cold sores is vinegar. But is there any truth to this old wives’ tale? In this article, we’ll explore whether vinegar is good for cold sores or not.
What is Vinegar?
Before we dive into whether vinegar can help cure cold sores or not, let’s first get a better understanding of what exactly vinegar is.
Vinegar is an aqueous solution that consists mainly of acetic acid and water. It’s made through the fermentation process of ethanol (a type of alcohol) by bacteria known as acetic acid bacteria. The most common types of vinegars include apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white distilled vinegar and more!
There are many household uses for different types of vinegars but here we will focus solely on its potential use in helping alleviate symptoms associated with having a nasty ol’ outbreak occurring around your kissers!
What Causes Cold Sores?
Cold sores – also known as fever blisters – occur when the herpes virus decides to colonize nerve cells near your lip area then subsequently forces these cells into producing replica viral particles which assemble themselves inside cells before being sent out looking for new hosts/nerve cells to infect elsewhere in/on somebody else’s person! Wow-wee!
Generally speaking though “cold season” occurs during colder months because variations occur during temperature shift periods leading up towards winter thus making our immune systems wonkier than usual (also stress doesn’t seem to help much does it?!)
Some estimates suggest that around 90% of adults worldwide will test positive for antibodies to herpes simplex viruses, however in ~70 percent of cases there are no observable symptoms so don’t go blaming any infected germs just yet!
Is Vinegar Beneficial?
There has been some recent buzz on the internet that suggests vinegar may help cure cold sores or at least alleviate their symptoms. But is there any scientific evidence to back up these claims?
Here’s the answer you’ve all been waiting for:
No, unfortunately, there isn’t much scientific evidence supporting this claim.
However! That isn’t to say that there aren’t some possible benefits warrant discussion!
It has been suggested – particularly by far-reaching online self-help groups etc. – that vinegar could be effective due to its high acidic content being able to destroy virus particles and thus stop a cold sore from spreading further.
Whilst using something with enough acid could potentially aid reducing replication rates it’s unlikely our average types available off the shelf would have sufficient concentration levels necessary I’m afraid (we can always daydream!)
Despite not being able to kill the herpes virus specifically associated with outbreak propagation; low pH solutions such as ‘moderately’ diluted apple cider vinegar may provide relief when applied directly onto blistered skin areas herself.
For sufferers boasting more sensitivity than most potential side effects might include stinging sensations post-dilution/acid application which will fade over time definitely putting pain into perspective once again wtf life- good ol paradoxes!
Another anecdotal benefit reporting antiseptic properties present eating/drinking small amounts regularly long term such as vitamin C & beta sisterol offered in apple cider vinegars according timesofindia.indiatimes.com …worth considering though personal testing required…
In short, vinegar does not appear to be a cure-all for cold sores. However, there is some evidence that it could potentially help alleviate symptoms associated with the outbreak.
But whether you choose to try using apple cider vinegar or another type of vinegar on your cold sore as an experiment most likely won’t hurt if moderated up right- and who knows maybe you’ll get lucky!
The best course of action however always remains prevention through good hygiene habits when sick person infected other before any nasty kissing fun can begin in order.