Genital Herpes
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Name not given
Posted on: November 19, 1998

What herbs help treat and or prevent outbreaks.

James Duke, in "The Green Pharmacy" (St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010), recommends the following:

Lemon Balm: make a tea with 4-6 teaspoons of the herb per cup of boiling water. This can be taken internally and applied externally on the lesions. Lemon Balm has antioxidants to strengthen the immune system, and antiviral compounds that target the herpes virus.

"Happy Herbicide Tea" made with lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, sage, self-heal, hyssop and thyme. These members of the mint family contain many anti-herpes compounds. The tea is made by filling a saucepan with water, bringing it to a boil, filling the saucepan three quarters full with fresh lemon balm or one quarter of a cup of dried lemon balm, then adding 2 parts each of dried oregano and thyme, and one part each of hyssop, rosemary, sage and thyme. The actual amounts of the herbs other than lemon balm don’t matter. Add a little licorice root to sweeten the tea and steep for 20 minutes.

St. John’s Wort: Make a strong tea and dab it on the sores when cooled. The hypericin in St. John’s wort is effective against Herpes simplex.

Hot red peppers can prevent the outbreak of shingles. Cayenne or a hot red pepper sauce can be added to food.

Garlic is effective against the herpes virus, and is best taken fresh in pastas or salads

Lysine: a cup of black beans, lentils or soybeans will provide 2500 mg of lysine, twice the recommended daily dosage recommended to suppress the viral replication

Pear juice is rich in anti-herpes caffeic acid

Also please see the Richters web page Q&A Medicinal Herb entry "Herbs for Herpes".

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