Organic Cold Sore Salve

This salve is best used as a preventative. It can help prevent cold sores and can speed healing time. It cannot prevent all cold sores.

This cold sore salve is made with wild organic Rose Hips (Rosa canina) ,wild organic lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), USDA organic licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and wild organic horsetail (Equisetum arvense), USDA organic extra-virgin olive oil, USDA organic avocado oil, and pure beeswax from a local farmer, with a little USDA organic vitamin E oil as an antioxidant and USDA organic clove essential oil. Of these ingredients the lemon balm, clove, and licorice, are all active against HPV-1 the virus that causes cold sores. The rose hips and horsetail provide healing benefits to the skin.

Rose Hips (Rosa canina) are an excellent source of vitamin C, flavonoids, carotenoids, and fatty acids. The fatty acids in R. canina have been investigated, and three major bioactive fatty acid compounds have been isolated that display anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids help prevent oxidative stress in skin, lessening the effect of aging.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-allergenic, and antimicrobial properties. It has been used for dermatitis, eczema, pruritus and cysts. It is highly skin permeable and prevents oxidative stress. Its antimicrobial properties are effective against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Mycobacterium bovis, Periodontopathogenic and capnophilic bacteria isolated from periodontitis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, helicobacter pylori. Licorice root is active against HPV-1

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is very high in silica, a component of skin and bones. It is anti-inflammatory and can increase collagen production. It is antimicrobial and can accelerate the healing of small burns and wounds.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) has been shown in studies to be effective against HPV-1. It penetrates the skin and inhibits the growth of the virus. Lemon balm is highly antioxidant and is anti-inflammatory and can reduce swelling. Lemon balm inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica. In in vitro studies, lemon balm inhibited the binding of HSV-1 to host cells and virus penetration in cells.

Clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum) is a very powerful antioxidant. Clove oil has been proven to be effective against Staphylococcus species of bacteria and Aspergillus niger species of fungi. It is antiviral and eugenin isolated from clove oil is anti-inflammatory and is active against HPV-1.