 Surgical excision of aphthous ulcers has been described , but it is an ineffective and inappropriate treatment . Silver nitrate has also been used as a chemical cauterant . Apart from the mainstream approaches detailed above , there are numerous treatments of unproven effectiveness , ranging from herbal remedies to otherwise alternative treatments , including aloe vera , myrtus communis , Rosa damascena , zinc sulfate , nicotine , polio virus vaccine and prostaglandin E2 . 
