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.
Iodine
Posted by Kilgore (Jackson, Ms) on 12/06/2012
★★★★★
I have had a long standing oral herpes infection completely resolved by taking Lugol's iodine 5% solution. Ten drops in my coffee in the morning and ten more in milk after lunch. Took about two months, but infection is completely gone, including scars and blemishes.
General Feedback
Posted by Kilgore (Jackson, Ms) on 12/06/2012
Candy, please look into Lugols iodine for your herpes. I have cured myself of a long standing infection in two months, 20 drops a day of 5% Lugols solution in coffee/milk.
General Feedback
Posted by Candy (Brooklyn, Ny, United States) on 12/05/2012
To Ted.. I really need some info on this I am presently taking zinc, coconot oil and oil of oregano to cure herpes. I am determine to beat this thing, not just stop out breaks but to cure it. My diet has change, I eat lots of fruits, apples, watermalon, bananas etc I drink lots of water, eat lots of cheese, drink lots of milk, egss and fish. I think I mess up by eating whole wheat breads, what breads are better to eat the white or wheat if u have hsv1 and 2. I am not sure what juices I should drink either, does foot detox help with this too? Please shed some light on this thank you.. Has anyone been cured from these stuff? How long you recommend I take those stuff?
General Feedback
Posted by Candy (Brooklyn, Ny, United States) on 12/04/2012
Has anyone been cure from herpes using the oil of oregano and coconut oil?
Acetone
Posted by Artemisia (London, UK) on 12/02/2012
Gracie, that sounds more like shingles, a different type of herpes virus. It travels down the trigeminal nerve down the nose and across the cheek. It responds to Lysine and as you say, cheese, chocolate, nuts and red wine trigger and feed the virus. Counter this with Lysine (buy the powder from iHerb in Ca who ship to the UK for $6 per order). The ONLY way to dry them out (better even than acetone, is CAMPHOR SPIRITS OR in French l'alcool camphre). You used to be able to buy it in the UK, but now I have to get mine from the US yet again. You dab it on as soon as you get the tingle. Believe me, you will start keeping some in the larder. I use it now only once in a while as I know the signal tingle and start taking Lysine in juice. I was once told by a chief Medic in the Homeopathic Hospital, Tunbridge Wells "the herpes virus is a bitch". My friend in the US who gets shingles when run down, has had the vaccine and I believe you can now get it here.... It is with you for life I understand and I can locate exactly where mine resides; under the arachnoid around the skull on the left side which is where the blisters first appeared on my nose and cheek.... My nose is scarred but the cheeks are more resilient. Spirits of camphor.... As we know these cheap remedies are not endorsed by big pharma - too cheap and no profit margin for shareholders. We have to do the research for ourselves and take action.
Artemisia (purely coincidental that this is the latin for Wormwood! It was the name of an old horse of miine)
Camphor
Posted by Artemisia (London, United Kingdom) on 12/02/2012
★★★★★
The only remedy which dries them is SPIRITS OF CAMPHOR, now unavailable in the UK, but I buy from the USA. Also, take Lysine and avoid Arginine containing foods: Cheese, red wine, nuts, chocolate. Sometimes they will appear soon after consuming one or more of these foods. As soon as the "tingling" starts which signals the onset, take a half teaspoon Lysine - I take it twice a day - in juice.
Acetone
Posted by Gracie (London, UK) on 12/02/2012
★★★★★
Acetone really works! I wanted to share all the info I have with cold sore sufferers as I know how detrimental they can be to the quality of life.
I have been suffering for years and years now from cold sores. My immune system is weak to them and I suspect my partner carries the cold sore virus without any symptoms and infects me every time he eats lots of chocolate and nuts. Sometimes these cold sores are around my nose, on my cheeks, on my chin or above my mouth and I have had some terrible scars in the past from cold sores that became huge and lasted for weeks. These scars sometimes took over 6 months to disappear.
This used to be the bane of my life. It really ruined my existence, to the point where I did not go out for weeks as my face was marred with huge weeping sores or large crusty scabs sometimes several nasty cold blisters would spread in a line across my cheek and they were so painful. It was one of the worst periods of my life and lasted over 2 years during which I felt ashamed and disgusting. People would look at me with horror and no amount of make up could conceal these terrible sores.
Thank goodness for acetone. I cannot believe this works but it really does! The minute I feel a sore coming on or itchiness I swab the area with acetone several times, often the skin turns a little red. Then on top of that I put some cream containing acyclovir like zovirax. I keep repeating every couple of hours. Usually the next day the sore is gone or on its way out.
Just to give advice to others out there, there is a link between foods and cold sores especially sugars, processed red meats (avoid these like the plague) and foods containing lysine and arginine to my break outs. If I eat foods high in arginine like nuts, seeds, chocolate, soya, shellfish etc. then often a cold sore will come up, it is important to balance this out with either foods containing lysine or a lysine supplement.
Foods highest in lysine are chicken, tuna, cod, grouper, pollock, haddock etc. Foods highest in Lysine and lowest in arginine are plain yogurt, most cheeses, milk, kefir and many fishes.
Sticking to a good ratio of more lysine than arginine in your diet plus the acetone trick should mean no more cold sores!
I wish everyone well and no more cold sores, ever!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Honey (Brooklyn, United States) on 11/29/2012
Has any actually been fully cured of herpes usuing the oil of oregano?
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Liz (Santa Clarita, California) on 11/27/2012
★★★★★
I have had Herpes on my lip since I was 6. I get outbreaks about 4 or 5 times a every year. Usually stress and heat triggers it. I have tried, ice, lysine pills, abreva, cold sore lip balms, apple cider vinegar and none have helped me. The healing time of the sore was the same whether I used these or not (which is about a week and a half). I have been prescribed acyclovir which worked on a few outbreaks or at least has decreased the healing time.
However, 2 days ago I got a break out and the acyclovir has not helped as it did before. SO, I found this website, and decided to use HYDROGEN PEROXIDE!!!! It is amazing! I left a cotton ball doused in hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes on the sore and it has gone down so much, its unnoticeable!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Bill (New York, Nyc Usa) on 11/23/2012
★★★★★
I've been battling cold sores for twenty years. They would appear whenever my body got "run down" (fatigued). I suspect that my immune system is not as strong when I'm really fatigued and that's when the cold sores appear.
As somone who travels for business, frequently crossing time zones, there are several times a year when I don't get enough sleep and get "run down" Up until recently, the cold sores would appear without fail. I tried taking food grade hydrogen peroxide according the the advice given on this site. That hasn't worked for me yet but what HAS worked is very simple. When brushing my teeth, I dip my toothbrush in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water (half h2o2 and half water) and simply brush my lips with the solution. The h2o2 is the 3% kind found in conventional drug stores. It's been two years and I've only had two occurances of cold sores, both when I neglected to bring my h2o2 with me while traveling. This is not a perfect cure because when I've neglected to brush with the h2o2 and haven't gotten enough sleep, the cold sores reappeared. But even after a cold sore has developed, I've brushed with the solution and the cold sore has gone away in two days maximum. This really is a completely workable way to manage cold sores. If I feel a "tingle" on my lip, which is an indication that a cold sore is about to appear, I quickly brush with the h2o2 and water. I've actually begun to brush this way on a daily basis just as a precaution.
I've recently discovered that they are making toothpaste with h2o2 as an ingredient. I've been using this for the last 3 months and the results have been the same. No cold sores. This is even easier.
This is a really simple remedy and I'm anxious to hear if it works for you.
The short version is to simply brush your lips with 1.5% h2o2 daily and also whenever you feel a "tingle". Let me know how you do!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Vitaminjunkie (Marietta, Georgia, United States) on 11/15/2012
★★★★★
I used Oil of Oregano in capsule form for about 5 months. I used one 1500 mg. Capsule in the afternoon and sometimes another at night. I also used the straight oil of oregano itself on the outbreaks. This was for genital herpes, and I have never had another outbreak since, but I took the capsule - usually just the one afternoon dose -
EVERY DAY. This... Stuff... works! Have had many stressful situations happen in the past few months and not a single outbreak even though I quit using the stuff about two months ago.
Additional notes: Oil of oregano can cause problems with iron absorption. If you take an iron supplement - I would take it early in the morning so that it can be absorbed and then take the oil of oregano later in the day. Also, if your immune system is compromised in other ways - say HIV or any other immune system related illnesses - oil of oregano may not be an option for you because it might affect other medications. You would have to check with your health professional on this. That being said, if it's just the herpes virus that is your problem (oral or genital) and you are trying to kill it - consisten use of oil of oregano will absolutely do this! Don't let the medical profession tell you there's no cure!
Turmeric
Posted by Jflange (Chicago, Il) on 11/11/2012
★★★★★
I have had the same result with turmeric. 1/4 tsp organic turmeric powder mixed into a small amount of milk (any milk with fat will do) and a bit of honey. Symptom free since I began and otherwise it would have been a monthly outbreak for me.
Alcohol
Posted by Joyce (Lansdowne, Pa) on 11/05/2012
★★★★★
Many times I have the tingling sensation when a cold sore is coming on. I simply use rubbing alcohol on cotton swab and hold in at the spot for a few seconds or 2 minutes. The cold sore never materializes and the itching stops after a while. Even when there is a slight raise at the spot using the alcohol gets rid of it.
Acetone
Posted by Tunameat (Myrtle Beach, Sc) on 11/04/2012
★☆☆☆☆
I just noriced a cold sore yesterday. It was barely noticeable so I ran out to CVS and got Abreva and Lysine , I spent about $30. I lathered that on and went to sleep. Wake up and its 2x bigger, red, swollen and has a white blistery area forming on my lip, sorta flat so far. I applied Nail Polish remover this morning since I was so pissed. I put it on a Q-tip and dabbed it on my lip for about 10 seconds. I did it again about an hour later, then 2 hours later. So far I see absolutely no change. Nothing. Looks exactly the same. I think this may be a placebo effect. Does not work.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Anon (None, Usa) on 11/01/2012
Put the apple cider heavily on a cloth and wrap it around your penis. It may smell a little funny but it will work...
Alcohol
Posted by Khunt (Zurich, Switzerland) on 10/31/2012
★★★★★
Good morning, I wanted to share my story of treating cold sores. I have battling the evil blisters since I was a kid. The embarassment of the huge blister sitting on my face, the pain and the discomfort it caused for days on end. I have tried everything from abreva and ice to lysine, nothing got rid of it. Yes things like abreva cut back on the time my sore lasted but it never got rid of it like alcohol. Yes, pure rubbing alcohol. As soon as you feel the tingling soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and apply for a few minutes every few hours. It will be gone within 24 hours.
I even went as far as to put hand sanitizer on once. I was out at a ball game and felt one coming on. I didn't have alcohol and I panicted. I never use hand sanitizer because of the high content of alcohol in it but a friend had some on her so I grabbed a dab and plopped it on my lip. It was gone by that evening.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rubylola (Brisbane, Australia) on 10/28/2012
★★★★★
From time to time I will get a cold sore up my nose which is really itcy and sometimes painful. I normally put cold sore cream on and it will take a few days to scab and heal. Yesterday I woke up with a big blister up there and decided to soak an ear bud in ACV and apply. I was worried it would sting as my nose was quite sore but I did not feel anything at all. I applied the ACV all around my nostril and held it for a minute on the blister. The blister was completely gone from this! I swabbed diluted ACV around the outside area of my nose to make sure it didn't spread and continued to do this throughout the day. The next day there is no scab or anything up my nose, I'm very impressed. I will continue to apply it today to kill anything that may still be lurking. Will be interesting to see if it works the same next time (would be great if there is no next time though! ).
Lemon Balm
Posted by P (Shawnee Mission, Ks) on 10/24/2012
The herb Lemon Balm There is actually some research to support its effectiveness against the herpes virus. Take it when you first start to feel the pain. 2 or three capsules, Then back off and use 1 maybe 3 times a day. Zinc oxide ointment on the sores at night. I use coconut oil in cooking. May help.
Electro-Therapy
Posted by Ragingcase (Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada) on 10/20/2012
I have had ob of HSV-1 on my lips since pre-adolescence... Probably originally inadvertently transmitted to me from goodnight/goodbye kisses by infected family members... gross huh! I have been and am diligent about warning and abstaining from intimate contact with all my past partners from the onset of ob.
My family doctor suggested at the onset of ob boosts of double regular doses of various vitamins... mainly C, B-complex, A & D; as well as drying the blisters out with rubbing alcohol and unscented anti-perspirant; then regularly cleaning the burst blisters with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide; all of which has a predictable but slight effect.
HOWEVER... just this weekend, with the familiar feelings of the onset of an ob, just a week and a half after my last (and pretty severe) ob cleared up, I was at my wits end as it has been nearly a month since being able to kiss my girlfriend. So I got this crazy notion... What if I try to electrocute the virus ?
I did a little on-line research and found a little info that it is feasable, a-LOT that it is bunk, but nothing that said it would cause any damage, so I licked my lip depositing a good conducting layer of saliva, gritted my teeth and touched the two electrodes of a fresh, clean 9 volt battery to the area... And... I got a good shock! But I pressed on, holding the shocking electrodes for 15 second intervals over and around the festering area, both the outside and slightly inside my lip. Once every couple of hours since the onset yesterday morning.
... and...
... without blistering, it's starting to shrink and the burning pressure is subsiding. Now this is only the first time trying this, and it's quite possibly, just a mild rebound (albeit about a centimeter over) from the last and pretty severe ob less than a week ago, but I'm actually quite surprised... Shocked you might say! Lol
I am going to continue this low voltage "electro-therapy" for the duration of this ob and some future ones to test its efficacy, and hopefully some other brave souls may experiment with it too and report back. And if anyone has any professional medical evidence advising against it, that would be great too.
I'll hopefully keep this forum posted. - RagingCase
L-Lysine
Posted by D M (Orlando, Fl) on 10/14/2012
Many others on this website mention the 'Ice' and cold water. Other websites mention avoiding sun/heat. My personal experience has proven this effective.
L-Lysine
Posted by D M (Orlando, Fl) on 10/14/2012
Check the other 'Ice' remedies on your website for Herpes Outbreaks. Many others have experienced good results with ice/cool water. Other websites also mention avoiding heat/sun.
Aloe Vera
Posted by D M (Orlando, Fl) on 10/14/2012
★★★★★
Apply ice and aloe vera. Keep the skin cool as soon as tingling starts. Works like a charm.
L-Lysine
Posted by D (Orlando, Fl) on 10/14/2012
★☆☆☆☆
For Herpes Gladitorum avoid heat/getting overheated/sun. Apply cold (wash face and neck in cold or tepid water, or at least end your washing with cold to close pores and reduce inflammation). Bathe in tepid or cool water ending with a cold splash/ice on problem areas, apply cooling aloe vera/ice to tingling areas, stay cool and hydrated (without getting chilled enough to catch a cold) and pull hot collared shirts away from the neck. Keeping the skin cool works like a charm for me. I have not had a break out for months with the 'cold treatment'. Years ago used to break out constantly. Lysine was not effective for me. Best wishes! :)
Cell Food
Posted by Nathan (Lexington, Ky) on 10/05/2012
★★★★★
Cell Food topically- This is my story. Scroll to the bottom if you're only interested in what worked for me.
Hey all, I've been following earth clinic for sometime now - and love it! I discovered apple cider vinegar on here and it did wonders for my quality of life as I used to have insanely dry scalp in the winter and acne. Acv did the trick for both.
Okay, onto my cold sore treatment: Abreva has worked pretty well for me the past couple of years. I'd keep it on me and when I'd feel the "tingle" use it and I hadn't had a major outbreak since I started using it - until Monday morning. I felt the tingle on Sunday night, put some Abreva in that spot and went to sleep. Woke up with a full blown cold sore... Yikes! Of course, this Saturday (tomorrow) I have a number of guests coming in town for what is annually one of the biggest social events of the year for me. Instead of panicking I came here and discovered the acetone treatment and hydrogen peroxide as well. I had hope!
So for the following 36 hours I diligently treated the monstrosity on my lip with acetone and hp. Only problem was by Tuesday night I had not one sore but three! It was the worst outbreak of my life. The acetone seemed to aggravate the infection, not to mention it smelled terrible and the hp didn't seem to go deep enough. I believe those treatments work for many of you - they just didn't for me. The nail polish remover I was using I later noticed included gelatin in the ingredients and I read elsewhere that gelatin can aggravate an outbreak -maybe that was it.
Anyway I woke up Wednesday desperate, ready to call off plans for Saturday. While obsessing over what I could do, I remembered reading that Cell Food helped cuts and burns heal fast, so I googled it to see what I could find out about it's effect on cold sores. I didn't find much, just one testimonial but it was positive. What did I have to lose? So I gave it a shot. Went to the bathroom grabbed some cellfood and put a couple of drops on my lip and it burned like hell (way worse than acetone or hp). I thought "this could be really good or really bad". 30 minutes later my lip was drying out and the swelling was going down so I put another drop on my lip. By Wednesday night the "tingle" was completely gone and all of the sores were drying up. I continued to use cell food every 3 hrs (I would also put some drops in my juice and water) and yesterday my sores started to scab over.
This is the amazing part: last night the healthy parts of my lips were starting to grow like a new fresh layer of skin I think from the cell food. Today the two smaller sores are 90% healed and the big sore I think will be 90% by morning. My lips are chapped from being so dried out, but after the sores are nearly completely gone I'll use chap stick.
I said to a friend earlier this week that it would take a miracle for my lips to heal by Saturday and I actually think they will be fine by tomorrow. I started on Cell Food Wednesday with 3 throbbing sores!
This is the first time I've shared on earth clinic. I hope this works for you as good as it did for me! Oh, yeah: I must say Thank God! Because I prayed a lot too! He answered my prayers :)
Dietary Recommendations
Posted by Ms. Qt (Miami, Fl) on 09/13/2012
I know you're looking for dietary remedies, and I empathize. But let me make this suggestion, the only thing that has worked immediately and the fastest of all I've tried is Xovirax - get a prescription and keep the tube in your bathroom.
When you feel a hint of irritation - no visible signs take a pin point portion on your finger and apply directly to the spot. I tell you, the sore/blister never surfaces. And the tube will last forever!
