Shingles
Natural Remedies

Exploring Natural Remedies and Supportive Care for Shingles

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.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Gus (Agnes Water, Qld Australia) on 10/27/2012
★★★★★

Hi heres my adapted paste for Shingles, adapted from thi site of course!

1tsp coconut oil.
1tsp cayenne pepper.
2tsp apple cider vinegar.
1tsp neem oil.
2tsp kaolin clay
2 cloves cut up garlic .

Combined all ingredients and applied, results in 24 hours are amazing. Applied quite frequently. regards


Licorice Extract
Posted by John P. (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) on 07/05/2012
★★★★★

Get a bottle of licorice extract and apply it to the lesions. Do this for 3 days and they will be gone at the end of the third day. Of course keep the bottle in case it re-surfaces. $8.95 here in the states... Cheap fix.. Don't get a vaccine for shingles.


Essential Oils
Posted by Tony (St Paul, Ab, Canada) on 05/29/2012
★★★★★

Hi, this is about treating SHINGLES.... Put pure oil of cinnamon on the soles of the feet, and the palms, twice a day. Also I would put oil of sage on the affected areas. I have found this to be a reliable treatment for anything viral.


Apple Cider Vinegar, Lysine
Posted by Monica J (Western Suburbs Of Chicago, Illinois ) on 05/15/2011
★★★★★

Hi all. Just finished a recent bout with shingles and thought I would share here in repayment for the great advice I have read here over the years.

I have had shingles a few times before and found the apple cider vinegar treatment (swabbing lesions with cotton soaked ACV) has worked for me. In fact, even treated my son when he had chicken pox that same way and lessened his time spent with that awful childhood illness.

This last time was different for me however. Instead of having shingles in a 'convenient' location, grouped together on my back or leg where I could treat with ACV, dry and then coat with an OTC anti itch cream and then cover with a bandage... No, this time they appeared on my foot. And like many here didn't recognize it as shingles - thought I had some nasty spider bites. After a day or two as they were spreading, realized well into the problem that this was a new location for shingles.

Maybe waiting a day or two to treat with ACV made it less effective than it was in the past. I was able to soak my foot a few times a day in a small foot bath of ACV and that helped with current lesions. However, having it on my toes made it difficult to keep the lesions from spreading and multiplying. One area would sprout a lesion and then go thru its stages and break as it was rubbing against another toe and then that toe would have a lesion (or two) the next day.

Then I remembered this site and read thru the comments here again for another clue as to what to do. The clue was the amino acid Lysine. The lack of the amino acid in one's diet is considered to make one liable to viruses such as shingles.

I had an older bottle of bee pollen in my cabinet. Bee pollen is a 'complete food' and contains all aminos. I took three tabs immediately and then 3 every 12 hours. (Why that time? Made it up - thought it would take that long to get thru my system.)

So, will keep up with the Lysine intake and of course, keep a supply of ACV on hand in case of future outbreaks.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lysine
Posted by Lisa (Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa) on 10/11/2012

Hi Schuyler, I have sent two friends who had shingles to my friend who is a Chinese herbalist. He doesn't do acupuncture but specializes in Chinese herbalism.

One of my friend's husband was hit with a terrible case of shingles along the same area where yours is. His work sent him home saying he could not return until it was resolved. Of course, he was in pain and upset about not being able to work. He's also a scientist and when his wife told him about my recommendation for this he said he would not go there and have his tongue "read". She said fine, went by herself and told him her husband had shingles and where it was located. He sent her home with herbs and instructions and within 2 days the shingles were gone and he could return to work.

Again, I don't think I can emphasize how powerful Chinese medicine is. I hope this helps. Lisa

P.S. Forgot to mention, my herbalist friend treated his own dad successfully for shingles as well!


Turmeric
Posted by Mitch (Gatineau, Quebec, Canada) on 10/16/2010
★★★★★

My 85 year old mom has been suffering excruciating pain due to shingles (along the nerve on the back of her leg to her waist) for the past 3 weeks. The pain was unbearable and she could not sleep at all because of the pain. I could no longer bear to watch her suffer so much so I looked up this site and found turmeric and apple cider vinegar. I made 00 capsules filled with tumeric and gave her 2 capsules before going to bed last night and mixed ACV with 1 tbsp honey and made her drink it. When I came to see her this morning, she said that it was the first night she had not felt any pain in the last 3 weeks. She has become a believer in natural remedies and so have I. Thanks to everyone for your testimonies.


Dietary Changes
Posted by Ann (Deer Park, Wa) on 10/11/2009
★★★★★

After months of reoccurring shingles, I discovered that reoccurring shingles is a sign of a serious underlying health problem. In my case it was a digestive problem and when I was able to get that under control the shingles quit coming back. I have since read that many other common ailments, such as arthritis, have been traced back by naturepaths to digestive problems. My advice: take especially good care of your digestive system.

Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Janbug (Jewett, Texas, USA) on 08/29/2009

My husband came down with shingles after chemo and back surgery. The doctor gave him the regular meds with extra nerve pills but it did not stop the pain. I called the nurse and ask what to use. I was told to use capsaicin which I went to get as quick as I could on a friday afternoon. I put the cream on him and thought he was going to burn up. I think it may work because the pain on the outside of the skin hurts so bad you forget about the pain on the inside for a little bit. I thought I would go crazy trying to find something to help make his pain go away so I got on line and found your site. I have started him on 2 tablespoons of the Apple Cider Vinegar in water and rubbing his neck and scalp. I pray it works and I thank you for being there for me to find. jan in texas

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Gene (Sarasota, FL) on 04/11/2009
★★★★★

This is my second shingles attack, folks! First one lasted 60 days and was the most unbelievably painful thing I had ever experienced. Interestingly enough, 100% of the shingles was sub-surface, with no redness, raised areas or pustules. The deep pain was beyond words.

Now, four years later, in a period of incredible stress, I've got the damned thing again -- this time, with a left leg and the front/back of the left side of my torso covered in mega-patches of fiery pustules. Pain inside (emanating from the locus deep inside the nerve) and out.

Then, a friend of a friend mentioned ACV and I went surfing and found your site.

Last night (day 3), I covered the sores with ACV&Cayenne, and took two half shot glasses of ACV mixed with Cayenne. Within about an hour the pain - inside and out - completely went away. Yes, completely, and I had what seemed like one of the best sleeps I had had in a long time.

This AM thru noon, I felt great, but this early afternoon I'm still a little shakey -- a slight twinge here, a slight twinge there. And the pustules are still there, but not increasing in size (and, as I write this, only a very, very, very occasional itch/pain from my little read friends.

I am going to keep this up, and have absolutely no doubt that this will do the trick. In fact, I'm going to apply your ACV/CP elixer as soon as I press 'send'.


Garlic
Posted by Matt (Attleboro, Ma. USA) on 02/26/2009
★★★★★

Shingles relief: To get rid of the itch as soon as possible rub a garlic clove over the area. It works even better in the shower because the heat draws it in better. This will work and you can do it a few times a day like before work and after work in the shower and before bed . I also use bag balm after to prevent scaring. But the garlic is the best solution


Zostavax Vaccine
Posted by Gail (New Hampshire) on 04/12/2021

My 2 youngest daughters got shingles at ages 5 and 7 after getting the chickenpox vaccine. The doctors didn't quite know what to think. Thankfully they didn't suffer much. I did not allow them to get the booster vax, and the school nurse was okay with that. Some years later I came across an article:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/02/chicken-pox-vaccine-creates-shingles-epidemic.aspx

Perfectly explained what is happening to our elderly population now. I'm nearing the end of what is my first- and hopefully last- shingles outbreak. Thanks to EC, I have an arsenal of knowledge that will allow me to prevent this should it try to attack me again! And no, I won't be getting the shingles vax or any other for that matter!


Supplements
Posted by RJ (Cleveland, Ohio) on 01/14/2008
★★★★★

I recently had a shingles, which I never knew anything about until now. This web site was a big help in helping me understand the disease and what I could do about it.

I actually used multiple remedies to help cure shingles and the excruciating pain that went along with it. I went to a doctor to find out what it was and he confirmed that it was shingles and prescribed Valtrex an antiviral pill (which will not kill the virus), 1 per day for 10 days. I did take it but it didn't do a thing for the outbreak or the pain.

First thing I did was start taking Vitamin C 1000 mg fizzy packets x 3 every hour, by the fourth or fifth hour, I had diarrhea. Not a problem, cut it back to 1000 mg every 3 hours for the next 2 days. This helps to jump start the immune system and Vitamin C doesn't build up in the body and you can't get enough from fruits and vegetables. I also started taking l-lysine 2 tablets in the morning and 2 before bed (1500 mg each time). This also helps to boost immune system and kill the virus. Unfortunately, I did have to take some ibuprofen for the pain from time to time but that was only one or sometimes twice a day for a few days. I also took twice a day 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with either orange juice or grape juice (not at the same time as the vitamins) until the outbreak was gone.

For the outbreak, I tried putting zinc oxide cream (the worst thing to do) on the outbreak, it did nothing and it was painful to get off because it is made with petroleum. I also tried honey for its' ability to heal, it may have helped but it was messy and I didn't see any results. I did put tea tree oil on for a full day and it seemed to keep it from spreading but I did not see a lot of healing. I then took and put apple cider vinegar directly on the sores and wrapped them in cellophane to keep from drying out and left on for 2 hours. It was painful but it really brought out the sores. I then took baking soda and sea salt mixed with water and applied with a wet wash cloth and let sit on for an hour and then reapplied a few times. This felt great because it had a cooling effect on the sores and took away a lot of the pain. I used to have acne as a teenager and we would go to the beach in the summer and every year, my acne clear up like I had none at all, so I tried it and immediately the sores began to heal. I only needed to use for one to two days for the baking soda and salt water and only once for the apple cider vinegar. Once everything was dried up, I put some calamine lotion on for help with itching and I was surprised when it eliminated the dark marks from where the sores were. For the pain that continued after the sores, I thought it would go away, but unfortunately, it hung around a while and made life tough. I finally tried vitamin E d-alpha, not dl-alpha 1200 IU's twice a day and the pain went away after 2 days. I read that Vitamin C and Vitamin E should be taken together so I took 1000 mg of Vitamin C with the Vitamin E at the same time.

Also, watch your diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. There are some that say the virus uses foods like nuts and chocolate as food to grow and survive, so starve it and you have a better chance that the natural remedies will kill and eat the virus.

Good Luck and I hope this helps someone because many of these same things worked for others and I know that they helped me a lot. Thanks to those that shared.


Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Gloria (Salem, MA) on 02/25/2007
★★★★★

My friend came down with a painful case of shingles on her neck,into her hair,down to her chest and shoulders.I check your site and found a cure.First she soaked her feet in 1/4cup ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and enough hot water to completely cover her feet doing this 2x a day, also dabbing straight ACV on the leasions with a cotton ball, it burns at first, followed by a cream. Made up of 1Tablespoon coconut oil,1 Tablespoon aloe vera gel and 1/4 teaspoon.cayenne pepper. Mix it up well and gently rub it in with a cotton ball.She also drank the ACV. 1 T.in water 3x day the blister came to a head that same day and the extreme pain decreased. By the third day she was healed. That was 3 weeks ago and she has had no reoccurence.


Alcohol, Distilled Water and Fastum Gel
Posted by Michael (South Africa) on 09/12/2006
★★★★★

Half each 90% Alcohol and distilled water. And Fastum Gel a non steroidal anti inflammatory. Fixed my shingles in a week. Blisters all dried and healing. Pain still there in the nerve. Good news!


Coconut Oil
Posted by Carol (Los Angeles, CA) on 07/22/2006
★★★★★

My sister had an attack of shingles with pain so bad she could barely walk. She was misdiagnosed at first and told she would need back surgery. The 3rd doctor diagnosed shingles, and warned her that the terrible pain could possibly be permanent and that the ugly blisters on her back might cause scarring. She told me this on a Sunday morning and I said, "Try coconut oil. Keep it in your system (3 tablespoons a day)." She did, plus rubbed it on her back. The very next day, Monday, she went back to work (she had been out over 2 weeks), and worked ALL day. She told me that her pain had stopped and that the blisters were going away. It has been a week now and she is feeling "better and better." Because of her success, I began using Coconut oil for myself and noticed overnight improvement for my rosacea. May I also say that I think coconut oil tastes delicious!


L-Lysine
Posted by Laura (USA) on 07/12/2006
★★★★★

I heard about Shingles before but this is my first experience and what an experience had been so far!! It affected the left part of my face having my eye pretty compromised. I'm using antibacterial ointement for my eye, and is improving. I'm very careful with cleanness, washing right away towels, pillowcases etc. that had been in contact with my face. My main concern is to avoid the possibility of infecting also my right eye. I have a big property and love to work in the garden. Well, I'll not put my hands in the dirt until am out of the woods. I had been reading about the topical and internal application with apple vinegar and i'm willing to try since I have now those ugly red scars from the rash, maybe will help to heal faster, I'll be glad to let you know. If someone wants to write to me and exchange tips, please, feel free to do so. Following suggestions from the book in Nutritional Healing - James and Phyllis Balch - I'm taking L-Lysine, Vitamins C, B complex B12 - A - regular medication. Diet is important too, maintain a possitive attitude and stay away from depression, it doesn't help at all.


Neem Oil
Posted by Louise (Australia, Sydney) on 10/20/2024
★★★★★

Re Shingles

I use Neem Oil on the rash lesions a few times a day. I also take the Tea and the Leaf Extract. Neem is an antiviral and antibacterial, but it should not be used long term if you wish to become pregnant. It's also a spermicide if used long term. Neem tastes very, very bitter. Occasionally, honey helps, but you can get used to the taste.

The oil on the lesions or rash helps immediately. Pain is reduced, and sometimes itching remains, but to avoid scratching, I put more Neem oil on. I also use diluted magnesium oil but creme would do, to calmtbe nerves, this helps alot. Fluey symptoms are helped with Neem also. I take High doses of Vit C and Lysine as well along with Zinc and D.

I'm still on the 1st day, smallish outbreak managed with the above. I'll follow up soon.

Ps Teds Archive is helpful too.


How To Avoid Shingles
Posted by AB (Atlanta) on 03/07/2024

Make sure it is indeed shingles. Shingles is often the first manifestation of an internal malignancy. Not always, but often. How to keep not getting shingles comes to figuring out why she has shingles. Full blood work is a starter. There are specific markers that indicate some serious things are underneath. Ruling out malignancy is the first step. Young people get turbo cancers these days.

Shingles shot for a young person who already has shingles is a recipe for a bigger disaster

So start with blood work Just google what blood markers indicate potential cancer and do the lab work. Keep in mind her doctor must disagree or dismiss, you can do it yourself these days.
Everyone these days must have a stool test for colon cancer, it is cheap March is a colon cancer awareness month, they offer a discount. Do it annually. A family friend, a young mom has recently died, she had stage 4

If your young relative is cleared from malignancies, test her for viruses, citomegalovirus, hpylori, Epstein Barr..

Meantime I'd recommend Cats Claw supplement, L-lysine +high dose vitamin C and Arsenic Album - a homeopathic remedy I learned about here. I get shingles like rash from time to time and I start this protocol and it really works for me. I also add a trace ( not a drop) of antiviral medicinal quality essential oils to a base oil and apply externally. Young living essential oils and Alma ( former Floracopeia) is where I buy directly. Can't guarantee for other companies. Never buy on Amazon.

Do all blood work before starting the supplements

And check the shingles section here on EC site.



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