Home Remedies for Canker Sore Relief and Prevention

Canker sores are a pain in more ways than one. Their very presence causes us to obsess, touching the sore and making it worse. They're also a problem because they point to your immune system and nutrition. Researchers have found that many people that suffer from canker sores also have a nutrition deficiency.

The good news is that you don't have to buy expensive medicines laden with chemicals to relieve the pain - and help heal - your canker sores. These home remedies for canker sore relief will often prevent canker sores from occurring, and improve your overall health as well.

Relieve the pain of canker sores, and prevent them all at once? Yup - read on.

Nutritional Deficiencies

First, before you embark on any of the homemade recipes for relief of the pain of canker sores, take a good look at your diet. In particular, the vitamins and nutrients you need to be getting are:

-B's - B1, B2, B6, and B12

-Vitamin C

-Zinc

-Folic Acid

-Iron

-Selenium

-Calcium

If you're eating a good, healthy diet you might want to seriously consider adding a multi-vitamin or specific vitamin supplements that focus on the nutrients above. By concentrating on a healthy, nutrient-rich diet, you prevent canker sores and improve your overall health. Your immune system will be stronger, and you'll have less illness in general.

Soothing & Healing Aloe Vera

Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, a type of herbal medicine, rely heavily on Aloe Vera to treat canker sores. Some of the earliest evidence of using Aloe Vera to help heal wounds of many types appear in the Ebers Papyrus from 16^th century BCE, appearing in both Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and Pliny the Elder's Natural History.

According to Ayurvedic medicine, Aloe Vera sap is effective in healing canker sores and relieving the pain of the wound because of its antifungal and antibacterial properties. Its naturally soothing gel, applied directly to a canker sore, can relieve most of the pain in a matter of minutes.

So how do you treat a canker sore pain with Aloe Vera? You can take one of two routes:

1. Purchase an Aloe Vera plant (you'll find plenty of use for this succulent, from minor scrapes and wounds to the simple beauty of the plant), break off a small area of one leaf, and apply the fresh gel directly to the canker sore. Repeat 3-4 times a day, or as needed for pain.

2. Use Aloe Vera juice as a mouthwash when you need to relieve canker sore pain. Swish the juice around the area affected, as well as your whole mouth to prevent the spread of bacteria, and then spit the juice out. You can see quicker healing by also drinking 3 tablespoons of Aloe Vera juice three times daily.

Caution: Despite the widespread belief that Aloe Vera is completely non-toxic, you can overdo it. Especially when using Aloe Vera juice for canker sore pain relief, be careful how much of the gel or juice you ingest. Overdoing it can cause diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, and even problems with your kidneys.

Therapeutic Tea Tree Oil

Sometimes called Melaleuca oil or Australian tea tree oil, this is an essential oil that is obtained from a plan native to Australia. There, the leaves were often used as a substitute for tea - which is where the plant got its name. But its uses go back much further, with the Australian aboriginals using tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts, burns, and infections by crushing the leaves and applying them directly to the wounded area.

Much like Aloe Vera, part of what makes Tea Tree Oil so effective in relieving canker sore pain and aiding in healing is its chemical make-up, which includes ingredients that are antiseptic, antifungal, and antimicrobial.

Using tea tree oil is simple and quickly effective in both canker sore pain relief and healing. In a small glass, mix 3-5 drops of tea tree essential oil with 5 tablespoons of warm (not hot) water. Shake gently to help the water dilute the oil. Then, use a clean cotton swab to apply the mixture directly to your canker sore. This can be repeated up to 5 times a day.

Do not ingest tea tree oil, and never use it undiluted (full strength) right out of the bottle. When canker sores hurt, it can be tempting to do anything to relieve the pain. If you use tea tree oil straight on your skin without water, it can cause more irritation, redness, blistering, and itching. Swallowing tea tree oil, even diluted with water or in small quantities, can cause lowered immunity, diarrhea, drowsiness, sleepiness, confusion, and coma. If any of these symptoms occur, seek medical attention immediately as they are signs of an overdose.

The Power of Relaxation

When you experience a high amount of stress, your body is affected in a variety of ways. Many people who suffer from canker sores can pinpoint the outbreak to periods of high stress in their lives.

Simply by reducing some of the excess stress in your life, you'll see positive benefits to your health. While you try the pain relieving methods for your canker sores, also try sitting back with a hot cup of soothing chamomile tea. Chamomile is well known for its calming properties, which should help you de-stress and the warmth can relieve canker sore pain.

Also consider investing in a bottle of lavender or peppermint lotion. Lavender lotion can be used on the hands and face; its soft scent is known to relax the mind and reduce stress. Peppermint helps clear the mind, increase energy, and generally help you calm down while getting things done. Either way, they'll help reduce your stress level, which will allow you to see fewer canker sores in the future.