Canker Sores

Canker sores can be described as painful small ulcers, found inside the mouth or upper throat. These are white or yellowish in color and occur in the lining of the mouth, surrounded by redness. Also known as Aphthous Stomatitis and mouth ulcers, they cause much discomfort, especially while eating and talking. They are recurrent in nature and may reappear after being healed once. However, canker sores are not contagious do not spread from one person to the other. Canker sores appear due to various reasons - deficiency in nutrients, tension, stress, eating a particular type of food, indigestion, etc. They are not serious ij nature and can be easily healed with the help of home remedies. In the following lines, we provide some natural treatments for curing canker sores or mouth ulcers.

• Fever
• Listlessness
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Feeling run-down
• Burning and tingling sensation
• Pain, especially while eating and talking
• Shallow ulcer on the tongue or on the inside of the lip or cheek
• Difficulty in talking and eating

• Irritation due to rough dentures
• Certain types of dental braces
• Vigorously brushing the teeth
• Certain food allergies
• Pregnancy
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Folic acid deficiency
• Emotional distress
• Streptococcus sanguis
• Infection due to certain microorganisms
• Stress or anxiety
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Dietary deficiencies
• Pickles (due to fermentation)
• Spicy and oily food
• Using a mouthwash that contains sodium lauryl sulfate
• Biting the lips

• An effective way for treating canker sores at home would be to apply raw onion on the ulcer.
• Aloe Vera juice, when used as a mouth wash, is beneficial in curing canker sores
• Another effective natural remedy would be to soak coriander leaves in water. After about 5 minutes, strain the water and use it as a mouthwash.
• Take a glass of lukewarm water and add 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder to it. Gargle with this water, first thing in the morning.
• Coat the ulcer with some honey. Let it stay for sometime and then salivate. It is one of the most useful remedy for treating mouth ulcers.
• Boil half a liter of water. Steep 2 tbsp Marjoram in it, for about 10 minutes. Strain the water and gargle with it, about 3 to 4 times a day.
• Gargling with salty water or barley tea is also found to be helpful in treating ulcers.
• Raw tehina, when coated on the ulcer, brings relief and cures the ailment completely.
• Increase the consumption of tomatoes and fresh papaya fruit. This is likely to bring relief and cure canker sores.
• Concentrated carob juice is also believed to be helpful in getting rid of mouth ulcers.
• When you have canker sores, it is advisable to brush teeth with baking soda, instead of toothpaste. This is because most of the toothpastes contain 'sodium laurel sulfate', which might alleviate the problem.
• Rinsing the mouth with Grapefruit seed extract would be helpful in treating mouth ulcers. Take a glass of lukewarm water and add 5 to 6 drops of Grapefruit seed extract in it. Use this as a mouthwash.
• Tea tree oil has medicinal properties and can help heal mouth ulcers. Apply tea tree oil to the sores, before going to bed, and leave overnight.
• Mix 1 tsp soda in a cup of warm water. Add a pinch of salt and gargle with this mixture, in the morning as well as before going to bed.