The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Dietary Recommendations
Posted by Cathy (Johnsonburg, NJ) on 01/01/2009
★★★★★
I dealt with cold sore on my mouth (lips) for many years. Then I read somewhere to stay away from nuts and citrus to keep the herpes virus under control, which I have done for the past few years. I almost never ever get them anymore. Once in a great while I may eat a few nuts or citrus & if I overdo it (which I almost never do) I may get a very small sore on my lip. But, I usually don't mess with the nuts & citrus and as long as I don't, the cold sores stay under control. For me, keeping away from these two items seems to work really great. Cathy
Sauerkraut Juice
Posted by John (Altoona, Wisconsin) on 12/30/2008
★★★★★
I suffered from cold sores for many years. Then I read about a cure that used sauerkraut juice to cure them. I tried it at several outbreaks and they quickly disappeared. It may be the L-lysine in the juice. They went away and have not come back for years.
L-Lysine
Posted by Ali (San Diego, CA) on 12/30/2008
★★★★★
Best ways to preventing a cold sore: I used to get cold sore and at first I had no idea what they were, then the doctor started giving me a cream to put on it which I thought was useless. Then I read about Lysine, now Lysine is a life saver. I also came across this device called Virulite, which helped prevent cold sores from forming by targeting the immune system to fight it before an outbreak. So every time I get stressed from work or school, I take 6- 500mg of Lysine daily, I spread them out during the day. Also if I feel a cold sore or a burning sensation anywhere, that is where I use the machine. Hope this helps ;)
Triggers
Posted by Marion (Powhatan, VA) on 12/28/2008
★★★★★
I have suffered with herpes since I was a little girl. Giant sores would appear around my nose and mouth. I actually go into hiding I am so ashamed. I have tried everything. Valtrex does work if the sore is caught early enough but this requires a prescription and is very expensive. In my search for an alternative I have decided to avoid the food triggers that cause the outbreaks. Chocolate, Nuts and Oranges too much sugar and artificial sweeteners. I also drink lemmon balm tea every morning. Since changing my diet. I have been outbreak free for over three years. I hope this info helps.
L-Lysine
Posted by Michelle (Minneapolis, MN) on 12/12/2008
I thought you were supposed to take L-Lysine everyday, which is what i've been doing for a year, as a preventative. I'm glad to finally figure this out.
I used to get cold sores at least every other month when I was a student. They were brought on by stress, and also seemed connected to my period. Acyclovir works for me but I have to double dose and also use abreva and carmex.
I started taking a Vitamin B-complex, Sunmark's Stress Vitamins, daily. I was also taking L-Lysine with this, which I will now quit. It greatly reduced the frequency and duration of my outbreaks. I get them 3 time a year now, compared to at least 6 and they are usually really small and last no more than 3 or 4 days.
I have a tiny one right now, it looks more like a little zit above my lip. But I am excited to go home and start the L-Lysine regiment now that I know the appropriate way to do it.
Symptoms will get better with time for a lot of people. It's important to track your behaviors and habits closely so you can know the triggers and if you've never used it before i highly recommend acyclovir from your dr. Take about 4 right when you feel the tingle and then 2 more that day and it will knock it out before it even becomes a cold sore.
Acetone
Posted by P. A. (Galloway, NJ) on 12/09/2008
★★★★★
Acetone cured my cold sore! Stressing about Thanksgiving arrangements, pleasing family memebers,etc. which triggered a cold sore on my lower lip about the size of a nickel. So the day before thanksgiving I checked earthclinic and saw the acetone remedy for clod sores..I figured what the heck...I had already tried the over-the-counter remedies in the past without much luck so I applied the nail polish remover with a q-tip about four times that day then applied an anti-bacterial cream to clear up any infection. Overnight I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had reduced the cold sore to about 1/4 its original size! Flat, not sore, tingly or anything.Applied a small dab of makeup for Thanksgiving dinner and it wasn't even visible! Yea! Thanks Earthclinic!!
L-Lysine
Posted by Rodney (Charlotte, NC) on 12/09/2008
★★★★★
I heard about l-lysine for cold sores using the internet about 10 years ago. I tried it then and it did not work. This time L-Lysine closed my sore almost immediately. This time I took larger dosages. My sore was already opening on my lip when I started using Abreva. But Abreva(???no generic ointment name) is not that great once a sore starts.
Since discovering this site, I decided to use a larger dosage of the L-lysine and within 1.5 (one and one half days) the sore has closed up and is well on its way to disappearing. Even though Herpes I is widespread, it is very uncomfortable for me to deal with people's reaction to seeing an open sore on your lips.
Measurements:
I am a big guy. So this time I used 3 1000mg tablets every six hours for 2 days. And each day following the first 2 days, I will lower it 1000 mg until I am taking nothing.
I usally get sores around the holidays which is a very stressful time for me for some reason. Thanks so much!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Craig (Edmonton, AB, Canada) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★
I use Oil of Oregano for cold sores, the second I feel that tingle i put a drop or two on the area that is tingleing and repeat a few times through out the day for about 2-4 days, it never blisters and breaks out, in fact its quickly regressed and dissapears within those days. I have been doing this for over a year and usually get cold sores about 4 times a year, and its worked every time...
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Giana (Tampa, Fl) on 12/07/2008
Yes Trish, and many others do believe in miracles. I was just diagnosed as having HSV-2, about 1 week ago, although I have been experiencing cold sores since I was a little girl. When the nurse gave me the information on the diagnosis, she immediately said she was calling in a prescription for Valtrex, she was so brief and I was so confused and thought twice about taking the Valtrex because I prefer natual remedies. Certain groups say there is no cure for Herpes, but I believe there is because I have found several sources online that provide this information, but they don't disclose exactly who they are for fear of being harrassed or losing their lives, as does happen. Miracles? Yes. Cure? I do believe. Let's keep helping each other and others who believe HSV and other viruses and illnesses can be managed and/or eliminated. Thanks everyone for the great ideas on this site.
Bitter Melon
Posted by Veronica (San Antono, Texas) on 11/20/2008
★★★★★
Bitter Melon has worked wonders on cold sore outbreaks. I get a tingle, take a couple of capsules and it subsides. I have tried coconut oil, but the results were not as spectacular.The few times I could not get the capsules in time (at work), I simply took them as soon as I could and the break out was lasted about a day and was not even visible- just itching and some slight burning. Bitter Melon beats all the others, hands down.
Acetone
Posted by Jen (Portland , Oregon) on 11/18/2008
★★★★★
YEP!!! This seems to be a miracle solution for herpes, both oral and genital. I get both but if I take a cotton swab and dip it in acetone and hold it on the sores for several seconds (or as long as I can) they go away super fast. I keep putting the acetone on the sores throughout the day to dry them up and both oral and genital last only a few days at the most!! My friend's boyfriend tried the acetone on his genital herpes on his last breakout and they never became sores and disappeared in two days. Outbreaks don't seem to be as often either. I also take L-Lysine too but its the acetone that really does that trick.
Calamine Lotion
Posted by Marcy Shannon (Boston, MA.) on 11/18/2008
★★★★★
I've just read a lot of your comments on the Herpes Simplex outbreaks. I too have suffered from them, right in the middle of my face! For the past 2 days I have had it and have tried acv, hp, bacterial ointment. Digging through my medicine basket,I found the calamine loction. This one is called Caladryl by Park Davis. I dabbed this on my blister twice this afternoon with a cotton swab. I cannot believe the difference. It is drying up as I post this message. It is hardly noticeable! This blister was open this morning, between my nose and mouth and looked disgusting! I will certainly recommend calamine lotion to anyone. Good luck folks.
Camphor
Posted by Lori Keat (Blacksburg, Virginia) on 11/10/2008
★★★★★
Herpes cold sores: For years I've been using 'spirit of Camphor'. I put it on a cotton swab and put it on the area. I also have taken Vit.B Complex and that helps too...As does Lysine...
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 10/30/2008 490 posts
Hi LIA, for all viruses, including genital herpes, think L-lysine 2 grams (2000mgm) 4 times per day for adults.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by LIA (NY, NY) on 10/28/2008
I would like to ask if ACV can be used on genital herpes??
Ear Wax
Posted by Hugh (Queenstown, New Zealand) on 10/26/2008
I heard this remedy when I was mining up in the Yukon Territory. I think there is something in the earwax that is designed? to prevent infections in the ear. It is serendipity that it also works on coldsores!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Kat (Norman, OK) on 10/25/2008
I found this site while looking up lysine, and was shocked to read about a link between outbreaks & artificial sweeteners. I've had herpes for about 3 years now (that I know of anyway- Aug. 2005 was my first outbreak ever), and I've been outbreak-free since that first one up until about 3 months ago. I could not figure out why all of a sudden I was getting an outbreak a month but then I figured it out tonight- DIET SODA! I switched from regular coke to coke zero roughly 3 months ago & that's right when all the nerve pain & outbreaks began! God no wonder. I know for a fact I have a good immune system & I'm not under a lot of stress, so I was beginning to get scared. Just bought a new case of coke zero tonight & it's going right back to the store tomorrow. I'm going to try some of the remedies listed on the site, thanks.
Alcohol
Posted by Mary (Vancouver, Canada) on 10/23/2008
★★★★★
Cold Sore Remedy: This remedy came from my mom who is 80 years old this year. I developed a cold sore at the corner of my lips. I tried food grade Hydrogen Peroxide which did not seem to do anything. Next I tried Apple Cider Vinegar which relieved much of the burning and tingling. Unfortunately the ACV did not appear to heal the sore or stop it's spread. My mom said to use any type of alcohol on it. Not wanting to put any propyl or Isopropyl alcohol on my skin I used 40% proof vodka. Within a couple of hours I saw a major reduction in the size of the sore. My mom said to apply it often and I did. Twenty-four hours has passed and the sore has healed up and the burning and scabbing is going away. I wanted to share this with everyone here as it is sure working fast.
Elderberry
Posted by Citrine (Austin, TX) on 10/17/2008
★★★★★
I take Elderberry Extract 4 times a day to cure cold sores due to the herpes virus. At the first tingling sensation, I take my first capsule with water and also dab on a little hydrogen peroxide. The cold sores usually never forms. Elderberry (medicinal name is Sambucus) is an amazing anti-viral berry. It even works against the flu virus! My family does not take the flu vaccine and has used Elderberry to knock out the flu should the flu virus strike. You can purchase elderberry extract at any health food store. There is a syrup version for kids too (but it contains quite a bit of sugar as do most children's meds). As with any viral infection, it is recommended to continue the dosage for at least 3 days to rid your body of the viral attack. Hope this helps!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Dave (Parts, Unknown) on 10/14/2008
I was originally diagnosed with GW early last March. The doctor prescribed Aldara which worked a bit but as many of you know it's very pricey. i finally thought i had it kicked only for it to return in full vengeance about a month ago. I started back up with the Aldara than stumbled upon this site.
I started the ACV treatment 3 days ago and it definitely seems to be working as the affected area is either completely raw or blackish/green in color. The warts arent raised from the skin at all and the blackish/green portion is a couple of splotches.
I have noticed that much smaller black marks have appeared on the opposite portion of my penis that the ACV has not even touched. I assume these are much smaller warts that the ACV is triggering. Is this assumption correct? If so, I guess I need to attack these too. A couple of them are on the side of the head of my penis so I'm not looking forward to my head getting even remotely raw. Any advice?
Anyways, thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and advice. This remedy definitely seems to be working and I am optimistic for the first time in a long while. Well best of luck to everyone and thanks again!
Acetone
Posted by Nina (Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) on 10/10/2008
★★★★★
Just had an GH outbreak after going 9 years without one! It was a small cluster on the outside labia (not on the mucous membrane) I was devastated and didnt want to have to go through weeks of pain. I was willing to try anything, and i did! I tried the acetone remover trick and IT WORKED. I pressed a q tip to the small cluster of sores that had not broken open yet, about 10 times yesterday and kept the area VERY DRY with cornstarch all day and night. Today, they are healing over and almost gone! they didnt break open, they didnt scab over, they didnt get any bigger...they are healing and almost gone. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Ear Wax
Posted by C.R. (Springfield, MO) on 10/05/2008
★★★★★
OK this is gross ... But it works, I even had my boss try it.... Grandma said when you have a coldsore, use your own earwax. But don't lick your lips! I know. I know. But if you like me I use to get them all the time.. I havent had one in years.
