Herbs for Cold Sores!

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and usually occur when the body is run down, of has an infection, or been exposed to sun or wind. One of the best methods of avoiding cold sores is to protect your lips from the elements with lip balm, and stoke up on echinacea to build up your immune system.

Drink 4 or 5 cups of echinacea tea each day, or take some tablets. Eating lots of ginger is effective too, not only for cold sores but for other infections.

The amino acid L-lysine is highly effective for cold sores. It can be obtained in tablet form, usual dose would be two 500 g tablets three times a day whenever you feel the first tingles of a cold sore forming.

When the sore starts improving you can reduces the dose to two tablets twice a day, and then to one tablet twice a day. Once all symptoms have gone, continue with one L-lysine tablet daily for about a week. Try to avoid eating chocolate as this appears to aggravate cold sores.

This may be due to the high arginine (another amino acid) content. We should also point out that beans, lentils and nuts are also rich in arginine and should therefore be avoided. The herpes virus is reputed to use arginine to grow and replicate while lysine inhibits the virus's ability to replicate itself.

Topical application of lysine may also be effective. One reader recommends a lysine lip salve. We know one person who used to suffer from cold sores and found out they were caused by too much salt intake and too little water intake. So try adjusting your diet and drink as much water as possible. Vitamin C, B5 and zinc may also help.

Some people find good results for cold sores with aloe vera. However, it must be the real plant that you use and not an aloe vera product: You just snap off a bit of leaf and squeeze a bit of the gel on the cold sore. It works like a miracle, we are told. However, I’ve tried aloe vera and it didn’t work for me.

Another suggestion is to use a propolis stick. Apparently, scores of these are sold due to their great reputation for clearing up cold sores quickly. Have a look on the web for stockists. Some people believe cold sores needn’t be a problem at all. The minute they start to feel an itch or tingling around the mouth, they slap on some Vicks Vapo Rub. They admit the taste is horrible, but the remedy has been known to work. Make sure you apply the Vicks ointment liberally, as often as you remember.

Other suggested topical agents include tea tree oil, essential oil of Melissa, Olive Leaf Extract, geranium oil, and a combination of H2O2 (3 per cent) and niaouli oil. Putting an ice cube on your lip when you get the first tingle may also work.

Finally, a couple of readers recommend Virulite, a battery operated device that uses “invisible light treatment” to eliminate cold sores. According to the manufacturers, it’s clinically proven to be more effective than cold sore creams.

It also goes without saying that drinking plenty of water while under attack by the cold sore is essential. * Patrick

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