Cold sores can be treated with antiviral medications, which may shorten how long the symptoms last. There are various home remedies, as well, which are used to ease their discomfort.

Furthermore, a lot of studies have been done that show compounds in certain essential oils may help treat cold sores.

Essential oils might have some advantages over medication. For instance, essential oils usually cause fewer side effects than antiviral drugs.

Although they may be helpful in treating the symptoms of the herpes simplex virus, essential oils can be harmful if taken orally. When used to treat cold sores, the oils are applied topically to the skin only after they are mixed with a carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or coconut oil.

In this article, we take a look at…