Cold sores — also called fever blisters — are a common viral infection. A cold sore is a group of tiny, painful blisters caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). They’re also called fever blisters or herpes. Herpes virus is the causative organism that spreads from infected people.

Two types of the virus can cause cold sores — both types can also cause sores on your genitals and can be spread by oral sex. There's no cure for cold sores in modern medicine. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body.

Cold sores are most likely to show up on the outside of your mouth and lips, but you can also get them on your nose and cheeks. Cold sores symptoms start with a tingling, burning, or itching feeling, which will take blisters form in about 24 hours — the area becomes red, swollen, and painful.

According to Ayurveda, one or more doshas may aggravate cold sores. From an Ayurvedic perspective, cold sores are related to excess Pitta dosha in the body. Specifically, it results from digestive impurities (Ama). Ayurveda recommends reducing foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate Pitta dosha and accumulation of toxins (Ama).