A cold sore remedy proven very effective, as well as pleasant to use, is mint tea. Many times I've seen a cold sore completely healed in as little as 7 days using the mint tea cold sore remedy described in this article.

As with any cold sore remedy I write about, I'm offering this cold sore remedy to you for information purposes only. It's a cold sore remedy that has worked well for many others.

In no way is this cold sore remedy presented as medical advice. Nothing takes the place of a one-on-one relationship with a health professional.

Keep in mind also - the best cold sore remedy is one that's applied topically. A cold sore is primarily an external problem and is easily treated this way. You may hear of a variety of vitamins or prescription medications that are useful as an internal cold sore remedy. These do sometimes help. But, the simple and direct approach will always give you the very best results.

This is true with a cold sore or any other problem in life.

Mint is a very powerful cold sore remedy because it has strong anti-viral properties. Mint also has a very soothing effect, which has made it a favorite with many folks who've written me.

But first, let's look at the "universal" cold sore remedy - ice.

Ice has been used as a cold sore remedy for centuries. Today ice is readily available anywhere at any time. Even a cold can of soda works as a cold sore remedy, when held to the sore.

The replication process of the herpes virus creates the cold sore. Ice, when applied to an emerging cold sore, discourages the herpes virus from replicating. The herpes virus hates cold. Applying ice or any cold object will stall the herpes virus from creating that hideous sore. And sometimes even send the herpes virus back into hibernation.

As a cold sore remedy, combining the ice method with mint is many times more effective.

Mint is very easy to find. The form we use is mint tea bags. These are available anywhere you find herbal teas. If the mint is combined with other herbs, that will work fine also. Just make sure the mint is primary. Mint can also be easily grown in a window pot if you want to try it fresh. I'll talk about a special cold sore remedy using fresh mint in just a moment.

This is how we turn mint tea into a very effective cold sore remedy.

Taking 20 oz. of bottled water and 5 tea bags (about one tea bag per 4 oz. of water), we make a strong batch of mint tea. Then freeze the wet tea bags.

Using the frozen tea bags in place of ice, we hold the tea bag on the cold sore area for about 10 minutes at a time. About 3 times per hour works well.

With this frozen mint cold sore remedy, you get the comforting and healing effects of ice. Plus, as the bag melts, you are applying a very strong anti-viral medication. This will kill thousands of herpes viruses.

Additionally, you can supercharge this cold sore remedy by sipping the tea. Also, apply the mint tea liquid to the sore with a cotton ball or paper towel. Now you have an internal as well as an external cold sore remedy.

This is also a perfect cold sore remedy for those rare people who get a cold sore inside the mouth. It works well for canker sores too. As a cold sore remedy, or for canker sores, you can use the tea as mouthwash. Swish it around for a minute or so, then swallow it for the internal benefits.

A variation of this cold sore remedy, we've used successfully, is to freeze the tea liquid. This works best for us using an ice cube tray that makes smaller ice cubes. This is a little messier as the cube melts. If you use fresh grown or bulk mint, then you won't have the tea bags to freeze. In that case, this may be one way to use your mint as a cold sore remedy.

One final note on using mint as a cold sore remedy.

Using this cold sore remedy, you may not want to, or can't, sit and hold the ice or frozen tea bags to your lip. If you're on the go, here's a very convenient and powerful way to use mint as a cold sore remedy.

You can quickly make an excellent cold sore remedy by crushing fresh mint leaves into a paste. If you don't wish to grow your own, mint is often available fresh or dried at your local health food store. With dried mint, add some water to reconstitute it and it will make a fine paste too. As you make the paste, mix in a little baking soda. This raises the pH level, which the herpes virus also hates.

Now you have a cold sore remedy you can use when traveling or at work. And, if made with fresh mint, the mint will be even stronger than in the dried tea form because you aren't heating it.

I hope you, as so many others have, find this to be an excellent, cheap and powerful cold sore remedy.