5 Powerful Natural Remedies for Herpes

Herpes is a generic name for a rather common infection of skin and mucous membranes. There are more than 80 different types of herpes viruses, but in what we usually call herpes only two are involved: herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 is the main cause of labial herpes, but it can also cause genital herpes; HSV-2 is the main cause of genital herpes. In the following lines you can find out how to fight this infection the natural way.

Echinacea pallida

The usual treatment of herpes involves antiviral drugs such as acyclovir, but the results are only temporary. The virus can not be completely removed from the body because the drugs can only inhibit virus replication and its spread to other cells, but they do not kill it, and every time the infection becomes symptomatic there are also areas where the virus is still in a latent form and therefore unreachable by the medication. And the main problem is, in fact, that you can not take antiviral drugs every day for the rest of your life.

But here’s the trick: you can take herbal remedies every day for the rest of your life, without having to worry about side effects. Of course, there may be some problems if you take the same herbal remedy every day for more than 3-6 months, but one of the best aspects of natural treatment is that there are quite a few herbal remedies with very similar medicinal properties and therefore you can always take them alternately.

Natural remedies scientifically proved to be efficient for treating herpes

Lemon balm: A study published in Phytotherapy Research in 2014 demonstrated that “penetration of herpes viruses [HSV-1] into cells was inhibited by Melissa extract at 80% and 96% for acyclovir-sensitive and acyclovir-resistant viruses, respectively.” Also, a study published in Phytomedicine in 2004 showed that “the replication of HSV-2 was inhibited, indicating that the Melissa officinalis L. extract contains an anti-HSV-2 substance.”
Echinacea: The antiherpetic action of extracts from Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea was demonstrated in a study published in Planta Medica in 2002.
Licorice: A study on the effect of an aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra on HSV-1, published in Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology in 2014, concluded that licorice “showed the characteristics of a novel antiviral medication.”
Ginseng: A study published in Journal of Ginseng Research in 2013 concluded that “the activities of local natural killer cells were promoted by Korean red ginseng extract consumption and that Korean red ginseng may be an attractive immune stimulator for helping hosts overcome HSV infection.”
Propolis: A study published in the Israel Medical Association Journal in 2002 proved that a 10% extract of propolis had a strong protective in vitro effect against the infection with HSV-1. The most potent effect was registered when the extract was administered before or at the very moment of infection, but “even when 10% propolis extract was added 2 hours post-infection it gave 80-85% protection.”