# Help! Are there any palliatives for swollen taste buds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850 "2005-07-02T18:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/1 "2005-07-02T18:47:42Z")
I’ve been getting swollen taste buds more frequently lately and I can’t figure out why. They are very painful, and it feels like there’s a large nodule on my tongue whenever I get one, even though the size of the inflamed bud is not much larger than its neighbors in reality. What causes this? I’ve read spicy foods, but I haven’t eaten any spicy foods lately. Whenever I get one of these it drives me so crazy I am compelled to pinch off the offending bud. Is there any other sort of remedy? I’m not quite sure that pulling off the tip of the taste bud is such a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/2 "2005-07-02T19:21:08Z")
When I was a kid we’d put alum on them. Back then, I’m pretty sure it was sold like a spice/baking ingredient but I looked for it in the store the other day and didn’t see it. The dictionay says alum is > [@](#): > > 1 : a potassium aluminum sulfate KAl(SO4)2·12H2O or an ammonium aluminum sulfate NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O used especially as an emetic and as an astringent and styptic ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/3 "2005-07-02T19:21:45Z")
I have no real answers for you, but I suffer like you. I too am looking forward to some answers! Although, I did figure out that my tongue/buds swell when I eat processed cheese (like Kraft singles type cheese). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/4 "2005-07-03T20:11:16Z")
There are oral anesthetics available at your drugstore. Oragel is a brandname, but you can probably find a house brand of the same thing. The active ingredient is benzocaine, 20%. It numbs the hurty part very well. Food tastes a little strange with this stuff, though. Warm salty water is the default treatment for most mouth sores. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/5 "2005-07-03T23:29:35Z")
No cure, but I find certain types of BBQ chips do that to me… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/6 "2005-07-03T23:42:29Z")
A long term solution is to significantly increase the amount of probiotics in your diet- from supplements or Live Culture Yogurt. They will heal much faster, but this is not an overnight cure. It also COULD be caused by Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (“SLS”) in your toothpaste. Try switching to a toothpaste without it- Biotene is one I can suggest. Or just baking soda. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/7 "2005-07-04T00:40:15Z")
Speaking of toothpaste, the same thing happened to me when I switched to cinnamon flavor toothpaste. Dried my mouth out too. ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-are-there-any-palliatives-for-swollen-taste-buds/310850/8 "2005-07-04T03:21:14Z")
I get this when I smoke certain brands of cigarettes and or pipe tobacco. Whats more, the brands change from year to year. My best guess is I am allergic to some breed of tobacco. You would think this would give me a clue that maybe I should stop smoking, but no, I just change brands because I’m a :wally.