I keep seeing posts saying that the garlic juice (from fresh garlic) burns quite a bit.. I don't really know why that would be, but I haven't tried it either. Maybe fresh garlic works better than my method.. but I occasionally use "oderless garlic" capsules.. just open the capsule, and use the garlic inside.. I find that it usually cuts the time in half..takes swelling away faster.. heals faster since it is killing bacteria. It works well on cold sores also. Use it as frequently as possible. It doesn't really smell, but you have to be careful not to wipe it off..