Q. I have had dry mouth for years due to medication. Recently, with my diabetes diagnosis, it has gotten much worse. It is hard to talk and hard to swallow.
In the last week or so I have had very painful sores inside my mouth and on my tongue. My doctors were no help, but my mom referred me to the People’s Pharmacy yesterday and I read about sauerkraut juice. I purchased a 79-cent can of sauerkraut (after spending $30 on OTC canker sore meds) and took it home, not really thinking it would help. Within a minute the pain was gone! The relief lasted for hours. I don’t know how it works, but it does. This remedy is a lifesaver for me.
A. We heard about sauerkraut juice for canker sores more than a decade ago. A listener to our syndicated radio show shared his mother’s remedy. She worked as a dental assistant during the Great Depression and learned this remedy from the dentist, who recommended swishing the mouth with sauerkraut juice several times during the day. Swallowing about a tablespoon of juice each time may help.
We are not aware of a scientific explanation for why sauerkraut juice would help heal canker sores. We have heard from many readers who have found it helpful, however.
The People's Perspective on Medicine