Health Tip

A mouth ulcer is a painful sore in the mouth. It appears on the tongue, the lips, and the gums or inside the cheeks. The first sign of the sore may be a tingling, burning sensation inside the mouth. They can occur either singly or in clusters. They are usually white or yellow in color, surrounded by red halos. Usually they heal within 7 to 10 days. There are 3 types of ulcers:

⊙ Minor ulcers

⊙ Large ulcers

⊙ Herpetiform ulcers (where one can have up to 100 very small painful ulcers)

Common Causes of Mouth ulcers:

⊙ Nutritional deficiencies such as iron, vitamins, especially B12 and C

⊙ Poor dental hygiene

⊙ Food allergies

⊙ Stress

⊙ Infections particularly herpes simplex

⊙ Biting the cheek

⊙ Hormonal imbalance

⊙ Bowel disease

⊙ Skin disease


Home Remedies for Mouth Ulcers

Tip 1:
Grate some fresh coconut. Extract the milk and gargle with this 3-4 times a day.

Tip 2:
Keep 1 glass of chilled water and 1 glass of hot water ready at hand. Gargle alternately with hot and cold water.

Tip 3:
Boil 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup fenugreek leaves and remove. Cover and keep for sometime. Strain the water and gargle 2-3 times a day.

Tip 4:
Boil 1 tsp of coriander seeds in 1 cup of water. Remove when slightly warm gargle. Repeat 3-4 times a day.

Tip 5:
Chew on 5-6 tulsi (holy basil leaves) and sip some water. Repeat 5-6 times a day.

Tip 6:
Eating raw tomatoes helps rid mouth ulcers. Can also gargle with tomato juice 3-4 times a day.

Tip 7:
Mix 7 parts of sugar candy (mishri) with 1 part of camphor. Apply on the blister.

Tip 8:
Mix a pinch of turmeric powder to 1 tsp glycerine and apply.