Natural Shingles Remedies: A Guide to Relief

Shea Butter, Turmeric, Homeopathy

Posted by Quantumchick (Irvine, California) on 04/29/2012
★★★★★

I've received so many great natural remedies from this site that I want to contribute one of my own.

I suffered from a bout of shingles, got the pain to calm down with drinking apple cider vinegar, spraying it on the lesions, and eating raw unrefined coconut oil. The episode lasted maybe a couple weeks.

My mom passed recently, and with the stress of that, it came back and I did not realize it until after the funeral - they were all on the left side of my body, on the front. Talk about painful!

Well, I didn't have anything in the house and I'd bought some salve that had helped previously but it was all gone. I noticed a jar of african shea butter my cousin had left and thought what the heck - it might work.

I put some on, and went out for the day. Almost immediately I noticed that the stabbing pain and itch disappeared and the raised bumps had gone away too!

Needless to say, I scraped that jar then went in search of more on Amazon. com - I ended up buying a pound of it.

Another benefit is that it fades the scarring and marks that shingles leaves.

Even though the skin got 100% better, I had tremendous post-herpetic neuralgia. My skin was so sensitive, it hurt to put anything on it.

For that, what has worked like a charm is Turmeric capsules - 500 mg x 2, 4 times a day, along with homeopathic remedy Hypericum Perforatum (30x 4 times a day). I'm still taking it, but it started working on the post shingles pain after the first few doses.

Because I read about this stuff online, and I was eager to try anything that might work, I just went to my local health food store to get the Hypericum, and went to Walmart and bought the Turmeric.

Hope this is helpful for anyone who is suffering from this terrible, painful condition!

Cayenne Pepper

Posted by Carla (Rusk, Texas) on 04/10/2012
★★★★★

I've had a terrible re-occuring case of shingles in the back of my throat since I was about 12 years old. After slowly removing and adapting to the stress in my life I only have one or two occurences a year now. This last week I've had a terrible case and did not want to use vicious lidocain, so I checked this site and saw that cayenne pepper helped some people. I bought some vitamin supplements of Cayenne Fruit and took one last night as directed on the bottle and did some meditation before sleeping. I had very little pain when I woke up this morning. I have just taken another pill with some wheat cereal and have had only a little pain. I recommend to try this for anyone that has Shingle of the Mouth.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lysine

Posted by Maryann (Emporia, Kansas) on 05/02/2013

Collodial Silver (liquid dietary supplement) is great to use as eye drops if you want to protect your eyes from your shingles outbreak. It's safe to use in eyes.

Homeopathy

Posted by Elationrelation (Minneapolis , Mn) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★

Natural cures help but are slow, and overall one needs to look at stress, diet, etc.

The best cure for shingles blisters is "Staphaseptic, " which is a natural ointment available in a tube from your pharmacy over-the-counter shelves. Most stock it and others will order it. (The box is white with rust-orange, yellow-gold with black accents, and is good to have on hand for other things, from simple infections, to boils, staph and even MRSA). You will see a dramatic change or even resolution within 24 hours. Apply 2-3 times per day.

The cure for the disease itself and the nerve pain is homeopathy, and though ideal to see a doctor trained in it, Arsenicum 200c works for many people. Pain level can decrease quite quickly. Continue for 2-3 days after symptoms are gone. Dosage is up to your practitioner, but often 3-5 pellets, 3-5 times a day, works.

These two things will bring dramatic change within 24 hours.

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.

Cayenne Pepper

Posted by Lola (Chicago) on 11/21/2014
★★★★★

CAPSICAIN (from hot peppers) for the best topical relief from shingles. You can get it in creme/lotion in a tube at most pharmacies. No burning whatsoever. REALLY HELPS.

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'.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Susan (Sulphur, LA) on 04/28/2008
★★★★★

April 24th, 2008 I came down with shingles again. This is something I have dealt with for the last 13 years. In the past I have tried antibiotics, cortisone, etc. anything that I thought would bring relief. I was at my mothers and she told me to try the gel from an aloe leaf. To my surprise it brought great relief. I have done this 2 or 3 times a day. She also told me that once the blisters burst to apply honey to complete the healing process. I fully intend to try this at that time. It has been wonderful to have relief from this awful disease.

L-Lysine and Vitaminc

Posted by Valeria (Eden Prairie, Minnesota - USA) on 04/04/2008
★★★★★

I developed shingles in October 2007, however, all I had was all the discomforts of the disease and never developed the rash. About 3 days ago (4-2-08) I began experiencing the same symptoms again. It was jsut a fluke that I began taking vitamin C and Lysine tablets. I had some Lysine on hand and determined that if the Lysine was good for preventing or lessening the pain of cold sores - why shouldn't it work to help allieviate the shingles. So I began taking the Lysine and also the Vitamin C. The dosage of the tablets for the Lysine is 1000 mg. and the Vitamin C is also 1000 mg. I have been taking two Vitamin C and 2 Lysine tablets about every four hours and it is definitely helping to relive the pain. I have also had pain meds which my doctor recommended last fall - but they do not seem to do much of anything. I hope that this will help someone else - I am 77 and never had shingles before last October. I have not developed the rash this time either.

L-Lysine and Vitaminc

Posted by Kelly (Us) on 05/18/2014

UPDATE - I ADDED liquid vitamin B12 by Now & it includes B-Complex also- 2x/day. This has made a significant difference.

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.

Clay

Posted by Jathinder (Kent, UK)
★★★★★

I have taken this opportunity to pass on this cure for shingles after my son suffered a severe case of shingles on his face. After trying several creams by the doctor which failed to work I decided to use a powered form of clay which I mixed to a medium paste with distilled water and put in on my sons face where the shingles first appeared, only covering the blistering ares. This enabled the drying clay to absorb the liquid coming from the blisters, as I found it was this liquid from his face when spread which caused further blisters when in contact with his skin. This helped contain the shingles to a small part of his face until the virus had taken its course. I hope this is of help but I know how helpless I felt when the first bout of shingles spread over half of my son's face with the creams doing nothing to help. The clay paste needs to be applied regularly as if too thick it cracks and flakes of, too thin and it will not absorb the weeping blisters therefore a consistency which you can see absorb the weeping blisters is fine.

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.

L-Lysine

Posted by DLee (USA) on 10/08/2023
★★★★★

My wife was having pain for about a week before the first blisters showed up and we realized it was shingles. Started L-Lysine right away, 500 mg twice per day, sometimes 3 times. Two patches developed, one about 2 inches long and maybe 1 1/2 inches wide, the other a bit smaller. Blisters were scattered over the affected area; not a mass of blisters like some have had. The infection never spread beyond those areas. Took 5 weeks to heal up. I believe that Lysine limited the development of the infection. Lysine did not seem to help with the nerve 'zaps'. A TENS unit, however, did a remarkable job at nearly eliminating nerve 'zaps' . We used a 2 channel unit. The nerve pain ran along a line that started just beside the spine and wrapped around in a downward sloping arc around to the front of the chest almost to rhe sternum. The front terminal end of the line was about 2 inches lower than the other end at the spine. TENS unit Electrodes were placed this way: 1st channel- one electrode at the starting point of the pain next to spine with its pair electrode about halfway around the line, on the side (about where your arm would fall). 2nd channel- one electrode halfway between the first pair, the other one at the terminating end of the pain path near the sternum. Used a steady, not pulsating, mode. After 90 minutes of this, no zaps for the next 12 hours, and very few zaps for quite some time after that. Only had to do this twice, about 3 or 4 days after the visible onset of the infection. After that, nerve pain was very intermittent and less intense than it had been.

BHT

Posted by Swfowkes (Cupertino, California) on 06/10/2022 46 posts
★★★★★

I can second Lisa's reply. BHT is extremely effective for shingles and can cause pain reduction in hours when used topically.

If you have shingles and want to test this, apply 10-15% BHT by weight dissolved in refined coconut oil (the most stable preparation, shelf-life-wise) to only one side and leave the shingles on the other side untreated. The untreated side is then a control. The BHT from the treated side will distribute to the other side (and through the palm of your hand in applying the BHT/oil solution), but it will take sufficient time for you to see a blatant difference.

Neem Oil

Posted by Peter H (Kent, England) on 06/09/2022
★★★★★

I originally thought that I found this cure for shingles at earth clinic, but apparently not. Wherever it was that I did find it, it proved to be an almost immediate cure. The magic is Neem oil and Propolis in liquid form. I painted both, rather awkwardly (it was on my back) with a soft paint brush, liquid before oil. Very soon those tiny bubbles were deflated along with the stinging.

Geranium Oil

Posted by Sue (South) on 11/20/2018
★★★★★

I think the ACV may work to some degree, but is overrated. The best is geranium essential oil on the spots, and L-Lysine with C taken heavily internally.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lysine

Posted by Lori (South Florida) on 09/03/2015
★★★★★

Just realized I'm having a shingles outbreak on my inner thigh. Haven't had one in 10 yrs. Immediately took 1000mg of L-lysine and Vitamin C. Put apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and put it on the rash for a few moments. Will come back to update.

9/7/15 UPDATE: Since 9/3 I've been taking 500mg L-lysine twice a day and using Apple Cider Vinegar on the rash twice a day on a cotton ball for a few seconds. Can say the rash is drying up! A few minutes after using ACV the pain and itch goes away for most of the day. It's working!

Tea Bag Treatment

Posted by Dennise (British Columbia) on 08/12/2023
★★★★★

Works like a charm on shingles rash. Once it dried up, I broke open coenzyme q10 capsules added it to zinc ointment and applied thickly. In 48 hours the rash is almost gone.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Prioris (Fl) on 09/29/2014

Most of the immune system is in the Gut Flora. It is my theory that gut flora may play a major role in these things. Maybe even chronic meningitis. I notice when I took amoxicillin too long, the shingles would show itself. I have low level chronic infection. Maybe a sign of gut flora abnormality. Just something to ponder.

Essential Oils

Posted by Trish (Vichy, Missouri) on 01/21/2014
★★★★★

Thanks to everyone who posted on here about your shingles treatments. I put together my "super lotion" based on the articles I read. My husband was diagnosed on Friday night w this dreadful illness. His was in his eye (and face and scalp) which was quite frightening, since it could cause blindness.

He has made a remarkable recovery in two days. We did get into an opthalmologist and used eye drops that worked immediately. They were Prenisolene Acetate Ophthamic 4x dayand Neo/Poly/Dexamet before bed. He is also taking Valtrex 500mg 3x daily. Tylenol every 4 hrs for pain. Although this lotion will settle the nerves down. : )

My formula for his skin, which is working awesome is;

2 tsp Coconut Oil
2 tsp Colloidal Silver
2 tsp Aloe Vera Gel
1 tsp DMSO
5 drops Tea Tree Oil
5 drops Eucalyptus Oil
5 drops Oregano Oil
10 drops Lavendar Oil
25 drops Licorice Root
1 capful Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix well, put in very small tupperware container and use 2-x a day and before bedtime. Hope it's a blessing to you, it works so well my husbands lesions cleared visibly throughout the day. We also prayed a lot! Feel better!

Coconut Oil

Posted by Tara (Cambridge, Boston) on 06/18/2013

Meghan, the coconut oil caused you to vomit. You should never take such a high amount to start of anything, and especially not when you are feeling so desperate. Many people start with 1/8th teaspoon and work their way up. Don't give up on the other remedies, I have tried them all and they are awesome!!