Lemon Lip Balm for Cold Sore Relief

While cold sores heal up and go away within 2 weeks on their own they are very inconvenient and painful.

You can speed up the healing process with various over the counter antiviral medicines. They usually contain acyclovir and may also help relieve the pain. If you prefer to skip the visits of pharmacies and look for a more natural solution I have one for you.

Strengthening your immune system

A good way to start, and this should be your long term goal, is to strengthen your immune system. I like to use Elderberry syrup or this rejuvenating syrup. They are packed with antioxidants to get my body ready to fight if I am exposed to this virus. This is very good for the prevention of cold sores. When there are already first signs of cold sores then I turn my attention to lemon balm.

Lemon balm for herpes

Especially if you grow lemon balm in your garden and are trying to get rid of this really invasive herb. Please don’t. Just simple lemon balm tea promotes the healing of cold sores. Gently place soaked lemon balm tea bags on cold sores (3-5 times a day) to start the healing process. If you prefer something more sophisticated and effective you want to make a lemon balm lip balm.

Lemon balm, also called bee balm, honey plant or balm mint has been used for centuries to alleviate anxiety and enhance the mood. The best application is in the form of a tincture where 20 drops a day helps overcome emotional stress. This fragrant herb called in latin Melissa Officinalis attracts honey bees and repels mosquitoes naturally. Just simply growing this herb in your garden helps keep insects and mosquitoes away. Alternatively, make this handy mosquito spray to carry its power with you.

This research from 2006 shows that applying cream or lip balm with lemon balm to a cold sore helps the healing process.

Lemon lip balm recipe

This is one of the best lip balms to prevent cold sores or to speed up the healing process in case of outbreaks. While a six step process may seem overwhelming, it is very simple, all you need is lemon balm herb.

First step

Whether you grow lemon balm in your garden or you decide to purchase it in the garden shop you will need to gather 2 handfuls of fresh lemon balm for this herbal preparation. Make sure they are bright green, free of any brown spots. I am talking fresh because lemon balm is the most effective when used fresh. However when infusing its fresh leaves in oil it may cause growing bacteria and fungus. So I prefer to wilt the fresh leaves for 24 hours prior to infusion to get rid of most of the moisture. Spread them on a drying screen or paper towel in one layer and let the flowers wilt naturally for several hours or overnight. It should take place indoors without direct exposure to the sun.

Second step - Make lemon balm oil

Fill a sterilized jar ¼ to ½ of wilted lemon balm leaves. Pour over the carrier oil of your choice almost to the top. I used almond oil for this project but feel free to use any carrier oil such as jojoba oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil.

Third step - Select an Infusion method

There are two methods you can choose to infuse lemon balm herb in oil. One is the traditional method that is really easy to make but takes at least 2 weeks for the herb to release its medicinal properties.

Cover the jar with canvas so it can breathe and keep it in a warm place for 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks, thoroughly strain the oil with a soft cloth to get only pure oil with herbaceous substances.

If you want to speed up the process you can go for a heated infusion method using a double boiler. Place uncovered jar with lemon balm leaves and carrier oil in a double boiler. Let it simmer for 3-4 hours at a low temperature around 40 C (100 F). Monitor the level of water periodically so it won’t evaporate. By this gradual maceration in a water bath, you will be able to obtain the high quality lemon balm-infused oil.

Fourth step

You will need to use a double boiler again to melt the beeswax first. Once melted add lemon balm infused oil and coconut oil and mix it into a homogeneous mixture under very low heat of 40 C (100F). Stir slowly and remove the mixture from the heat

Fifth step

Add essential oils for cold sores on lips such as lavender oil, tea tree oil, peppermint oil or sandalwood oil.

and vitamin E (optional)

Sixth step

Fill the mixture into lip balm tubes or a little lip balm tin. This step can be a little bit tricky as you need the right consistency to fill in the lip balm tubes.

I like it a little bit denser so let it cool down a little bit. If it is too dense you can always put it back in the double boiler and warm it up a bit.

Once you fill up your containers you need to wait for another 30 minutes to get the right structure of lip balm and you can enjoy it.

How to use this lemon balm lip balm

• Use a tiny bit 3-5 times a day on the affected area
• Don’t lend your lip balm to anybody as the herpes simplex virus is easily spreadable to someone else
• Don’t squeeze or try to pop the sore as the squeezed liquid can spread the virus to someone else.
• This lip balm can also soothe Shingles, Chicken Pox, Rashes or Bug Bites.