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Best Herbal Treatments for Herpes

Herbal treatments for herpes can come in herbal teas, tinctures or essential oils. Natural herbs can prevent or heal herpes symptoms quickly. I present natural herpes treatment that can be used either orally or topically. Some of these herpes treatments have recently been discovered or approved by scientific research, but most of these herbs don't have any strong scientific data backing their efficiency for herpes treatment. Nevertheless, these herbal treatments have been used in folks' medicine and herbal medicine for decades. Always prefer organic herbs. They're free of poison and can be your health's best friend.

Melissa/Lemon balm - Eleutherococcus - Prunella vulgaris - Tea - Thyme

Lemon Balm or Melissa officinalis:

You may also drink melissa tea, though it isn't proven to be effective. Add 2 tsp. of chopped leaves to a cup of boiling water and brew for 10 minutes.
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Eleutherococcus or Siberian Ginseng:

According to a scientific study, eleutherococcus or siberian ginseng is a herbal treatment that has no effect on herpes virus 1 (that usually causes oral herpes) but can reduce the frequency, severity and duration of herpes virus 2 (that usually causes genital herpes) outbreaks.

Eleutherococcus or Siberian ginseng may also have an indirect positive effect on herpes infections. Indeed, people with herpes often link their herpes outbreaks or cold sores to stress. A serious scientific study has confirmed that the frequency of herpes infections could be linked to long-term stress. Siberian ginseng may help the body deal with physically and mentally stressful exposures such as heat, cold, physical exhaustion, viruses, bacteria, chemicals, extreme working conditions, noise and pollution. Eleutherococcus has been used by Russian astronauts to increase mental and physical endurance and resistance to stress. You must take it for several days before feeling any results. Doctors usually say 21 days, but I tried it and felt more resistant to stress almost 10 days after taking eleutherococcus.

Moreover, another study on eleutherococcus showed it had a stimulating impact on the immune function after a month. Herpes infections often occur when the immune system is depressed. Siberian ginseng could help prevent infection by strengthening the immune system. Eleutherococcus should not be given to children and you should avoid it if you suffer from high blood pressure, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea (repeated, prolonged periods when breathing stops while sleeping) if you use sedatives and the medicine called Digoxin or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.

Tea or Camellia sinensis:

As surprising as it may be, a cup of tea is more than a pleasant beverage and could soon become part of the most common herbal treatments for herpes. It holds potential as an herbal treatment for herpes even though further study is necessary. It seems to be mostly effective on herpes simplex 1 but as its polyphenols and flavenoids can help boost your immune system, it could benefit both types of herpes viruses. A research by Milton Schiffenbauer of Pace University finds that black and green tea deactivate herpes. More recently, he suggested that white tea extract was even more powerful than green or black tea to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, fungi and bacterial virus. “When you drink tea,” he says, “chances are good you will wipe out viruses in your mouth. That probably seems wonderful to you if you have oral herpes.”

Recent research at Harvard also indicates that tea chemicals stimulate immunity against bacterial and viruses. Various tea compounds have also been found to inhibit the herpes simplex virus.

Green tea and white tea hold the most potential as herbal treatments for herpes. You can just drink a lot of tea for prevention. Loose tea is best brewed in a tea pot. You'll get a better quality tea this way with far more active ingredients. Tea bags may also contain chemicals and bleaching agents.

You may also apply ground brewed tea or tea bags on your herpes outbreaks to speed the healing process. Some people report it reduces the duration of their herpes infection to about 4 days.

Thyme:

Thyme hasn't been studied as an herbal treatment for herpes but I think it should be included in your list of herbal treatments for herpes anyhow. It is a great internal and external antiseptic and promotes leucocytes production. It is most commonly used to treat colds and the flu but it can be used as a preventive herbal treatment for herpes.

Drink one or two cups of thyme tea per day. Boil one tablespoon of thyme per cup. Several of my friends have reported that not to have herpes symptoms while taking one cup of thyme every morning. Thyme is also an excellent tonic if taken regularly. So you may wish to switch from morning coffee to morning thyme for a while and see how you feel. Thyme can be used regularly without any adverse effects. I make a lot of recipes with thyme, so I eat some almost every day. I find it safe and effective.

It can be used by pregnant women, but enquire with your practitioner before use, especially if you're taking some anti inflammatory medicine. Thyme also produces a very strong and very powerful essential oil which is one of the best topical herbal treatments for herpes. You can add a few drops to your day cream or to any salve you use to treat your oral or genital herpes infections.
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You can find more herbal treatments for herpes on the genital herpes herbal treatments page.

What are your favorite herbal treatments for herpes? How often do you use them. Please give your testimonial. Click here. My favorite herbal treatments for herpes are eleutherococcus, thyme and tea. I find them easy to use and effective at preventing recurrences.

Special warning: People have a tendency to think that herbal treatments including those for herpes are necessarily harmless. The herbs I present here will be so to most of us. But natural or herbal treatment doesn't mean safe treatment.
We usually expect these herbal treatments for herpes to be active so we should also expect them to be potentially harmful. I try to give you general guidelines on what plants to avoid but please ask for assistance to your practitioner or at least ask a naturopath.
Another big concern is quality. I can refer you to online stores I trust but I don't know about your local stores. Please only use brands you trust to be part of your herbal treatments for herpes.