Homeopathic and Organic Remedies to Treat Canker Sores at Home

Canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, are painful round or oval sores on the inside of your mouth, the underside of your tongue, or along your gums. Their outline is red, but they may have a whitish surface. Don't confuse them with cold sores, caused by a strain of the herpes virus, and very contagious! Canker sores are painful, and they may last a week or more, but most of them aren't serious and will only last between four days and two weeks, and don't need a doctor's intervention.

Just because you're not going to a doctor doesn't mean you can't treat it yourself with some homeopathic and organic remedies. Something as simple as rinsing with warm salt water can make canker sores feel better. A rinse of hydrogen peroxide and water will also help kill the bacteria that cause the canker sore as well as help the pain; use it several times a day to speed healing. The tannin in black tea can help too; it's even found in several over-the-counter canker sore remedies. Just wet a tea bag thoroughly, and hold it against the canker sore; again, do this several times a day. Rinsing with a distillation of calendula may also help the pain.

You might try a paste of alum, a spice you can get at the grocery store and probably already have if you cook much, mixed with slippery elm powder and deglycyrrhizinated licorice. Mix them in equal parts and apply directly to the canker sore. The paste should cover the sore and help keep bacteria away, while helping the canker sore to heal at the same time.

If you often get painful burning canker sores when you're run down and stressed, you may want to try using arsenicum album. Make a paste and apply directly to the canker sores. You might also want to try drinking hot herbal tea when you have this type of sore, or if you're this kind of person.

Borax, an alkiline substance, can be used if your canker sores feel hot and sensitive. Acidic foods like pineapple and citrus fruits irritate canker sores, and the borax can help to counteract the acidity in your mouth.

If it's your child or baby who has the canker sores, and the sores are frequent and recurring, you may want to try calcarea carbonica. An infant with frequent canker sores may be slow to teethe, and this remedy should help that as well.

Sulphur, despite its unpleasant odor, can also help painful canker sores. If the sores are red and inflamed, with a burning pain worsened by warm or hot drinks, sulphur may be the best organic treatment.

With any of these remedies, start with a small amount, and use once then wait to see the response from the canker sore. If there is improvement, continue to use the remedy, and use it as often as seems necessary; some remedies only need to be used once a day. If a particular remedy clearly doesn't work, or if it worsens the pain or redness of the canker sore, stop at once and rinse the mouth with warm salt water.

If you have big or especially painful sores, and they are still causing problems after ten days to two weeks, it's time to see the doctor. At that point, the home remedies may have done all they can, and a medical remedy may be needed to stop your pain and kill the infection that's causing it.

(Sources: http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Canker/canker_homeopathy.htm . http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/canker-sore/DS00354 , http://www.moms-blog.com/general-health-concerns-mouth-teeth/home-remedies-canker-cores/ )