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After receiving a herpes diagnosis, you may be curious about home remedies, but how safe and effective are they?
“Herpes infections are lifelong,” says Dave Aronoff, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, who specializes in infectious diseases. The virus can travel deep into your nerve roots, occasionally reactivating and reappearing as a painful, recurrent rash, he adds. Prescription medications to treat herpes include oral acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir) for initial treatment, recurrent episodes, and as daily suppressive therapy to prevent recurrent lesions, Dr. Aronoff says.
Home remedies, including topical creams or ointments, aren’t generally as effective. The research surrounding these possible approaches is also very limited, and many studies are on lab cells or animals (rather than human trials) or have inherent bias in the funding. However, a few complementary approaches have some evidence supporting potential efficacy, Aronoff says. This condition requires close consultation with your doctor, however, so it’s best to try these only under the guidance of your healthcare team.
1. Lysine
However, more research is needed. “I do not recommend L-lysine based on available evidence,” Aronoff says. “No head-to-head comparisons between L-lysine and standard antivirals exist in the medical literature.”
2. Honey and Propolis
One Brazilian meta-analysis of nine studies found that, separately, propolis and honey both helped herpes wounds heal faster than the conventional medication acyclovir, and honey provided the same level of pain reduction as acyclovir.
Topical honey and propolis may help with healing and pain reduction in both oral cold sores and genital herpes, says Chris Adigun, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Dermatology & Laser Center of Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
3. Lemon Balm
One study using a laboratory cell model suggested that lemon balm has direct antiviral effects, Aronoff says. Doing research to understand how compounds work is important to understand their clinical uses and any potential side effects, he adds.
Research into lemon balm is still emerging, the studies supporting its use are small, and the evidence isn’t as strong in comparison to typical antivirals like valacyclovir and acyclovir, Aronoff says. “As of now, lemon balm therapy has not found its way into medical guidelines for the treatment of oral herpes infections,” he adds.
4. Olive Leaf Extract
The same review out of Germany summarized a randomized controlled study that used olive leaf extract, which significantly reduced incidences of bleeding, itching, and pain and decreased healing time compared with acyclovir. The only side effect reported by a few participants was mild itching.
Meanwhile, a small study out of Syria compared cold sore healing in 40 patients divided into two groups: one that applied olive leaf extract and another that applied acyclovir cream five times per day for five days. Although pain levels were similar between the two groups, scabs from the lesions fell off sooner in the olive leaf extract group.
“Olive leaf preparations show multiple antiviral actions against HSV, with evidence for both direct effects on virus particles themselves and interference with early infection steps and intracellular replication,” Aronoff says.
However, like other studies in this space, the evidence is limited.
“Most of the studies supporting the use of home remedies like this one are small, and the quality of evidence varies, so these remedies should be considered add-ons, rather than replacements for standard care,” Aronoff adds.
5. Cannabis
“Current evidence does not support the use of cannabis or related compounds from the same family for HSV infection, and some data suggest they may worsen outcomes,” Aronoff says.
6. Petroleum Jelly
However, recent clinical research doesn’t indicate that petroleum jelly hastens healing of herpes sores.
“Petroleum jelly may help with local symptom relief by moisturizing the lesion, but it does not treat or prevent oral HSV lesions and is not supported by clinical trial data or guidelines as a therapeutic intervention,” Aronoff says, noting that he doesn’t recommend it for herpes treatment.
7. Topical or Oral Vitamins
“Supplements with vitamin E and zinc have limited evidence, and the findings are inconsistent,” Dr. Adigun says.
“There is no evidence to support that oral vitamin D supplementation decreases symptom relief or prevents recurrence of HSV,” Adigun adds.
8. Docosanol
Older research shows that the over-the-counter cream docosanol (Abreva) may reduce healing time for cold sores by nearly 18 hours. However, you must apply it within 12 hours of symptom onset and then five times per day, Aronoff says.
“Docosanol has not been tested in humans through direct, head-to-head clinical trials comparing it against standard, safe, effective, tried-and-true oral antivirals like valacyclovir or acyclovir for the treatment and prevention of cold sores,” Aronoff adds.
The Takeaway
- Home remedies should never replace conventional prescription treatments from your health professional, such as acyclovir and valacyclovir, for herpes infections.
- Some research suggests honey, propolis, olive leaf extract, petroleum jelly, or docosanol may provide symptom relief and may be considered as a complementary approach alongside your conventional treatment, but evidence is limited and inconclusive.
- The research is more limited for L-lysine, lemon balm, cannabis, zinc, vitamin E, and vitamin D, and experts don’t recommend using these to soothe herpes outbreaks.
- Always consult your doctor about herpes treatment options for outbreaks and long-term infection management, and only use home remedies under a healthcare provider’s supervision.
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