Genital Herpes - Supplements

A variety of treatments offer relief from this common STD—find out what works best for your symptoms. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.

Test topical alternatives
For symptom relief and faster healing, try ointments containing zinc, lithium succinate, propolis, lemon balm, or aloe
Try lysine
Taking 1,000 mg a day of this nutritional supplement may speed healing and help prevent outbreaks
Use condoms
Gain added protection by using latex condoms when having sex
Guard your partner
Avoid sexual contact during active infections to prevent infecting others
Protect your unborn child
Let your doctor know if your infection becomes active near your delivery date to prevent passing the infection to your baby

Also indexed as:

genital herpes,
herpes simplex 2,
herpes simplex type 2,
herpes simplex type II infection,
HSV-2 infection

About this treatment

What Are "Star" Ratings?

a7_3star Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.

a7_2star Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.

a7_1star For an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support.

Our proprietary “Star-Rating” system was developed to help you easily understand the amount of scientific support behind each supplement in relation to a specific health condition. While there is no way to predict whether a vitamin, mineral, or herb will successfully treat or prevent associated health conditions, our unique ratings tell you how well these supplements are understood by the medical community, and whether studies have found them to be effective for other people.

For over a decade, our team has combed through thousands of research articles published in reputable journals. To help you make educated decisions, and to better understand controversial or confusing supplements, our medical experts have digested the science into these three easy-to-follow ratings. We hope this provides you with a helpful resource to make informed decisions towards your health and well-being.

Supplement	Amount	Why
Aloe	Apply a 0.5% cream three times per day	One trial found that aloe cream shortened healing time of genital herpes outbreaks.
Aloe Apply a 0.5% cream three times per day Aloe vera may also benefit those with genital herpes. A double-blind trial using a 0.5% Aloe vera cream found that applying the cream three times a day shortened the healing time of genital herpes outbreaks. All but 3 of 22 persons in the study who showed healing with the aloe cream had no recurrences 15 months after stopping treatment.¹⁰ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Lemon Balm	Apply a cream containing 1% of a standardized 70:1 extract four to five times per day	One study found that topical application of a cream containing a highly concentrated extract of lemon balm helped heal oral and genital herpes sores faster than a placebo.
Lemon Balm Apply a cream containing 1% of a standardized 70:1 extract four to five times per day A double-blind trial found that topical application of a cream containing a highly concentrated extract of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) four to five times a day helped heal oral and genital herpes sores faster than use of a placebo.¹¹ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Lysine	1,000 mg daily	Taking lysine may speed healing and help prevent future outbreaks.
Lysine 1,000 mg daily Most research on lysine has been done on people with cold sores or on groups that include both cold sores and genital herpes sufferers. However, some evidence exists that supplemental lysine may be effective in the prevention and treatment of genital herpes. In one preliminary survey, 81% of people with HSV infections (including genital herpes) reported lysine was effective for reducing recurrences and shortening healing time in amounts averaging about 1,000 mg per day.¹² A small double-blind trial of people with oral and genital herpes examined the effects of 1,248 mg or 624 mg of lysine daily versus placebo.¹³ The study found that 1,248 mg per day of lysine, but not the lower dose, was effective in reducing the recurrence rate of herpes outbreaks by 57% to 65%, while neither dose helped reduce the healing time. Another small double-blind trial found that using 3,000 mg per day of lysine in divided doses led to a decrease in severity of symptoms and a reduction in healing time of both oral and genital herpes.¹⁴ One preliminary report found no benefit of lysine for a group of patients with either oral or genital herpes.¹⁵ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Propolis	Apply a 3% propolis ointment to the lesions four times per day	One study found that an ointment containing propolis was almost twice as effective against herpes as topical antiviral medication or a placebo ointment.
Propolis Apply a 3% propolis ointment to the lesions four times per day A test tube study found that flavonoids present in propolis are responsible for the supplement’s antiviral action.¹⁶ A controlled study found that an ointment containing propolis, used four times daily, was almost twice as effective as topical antiviral medication or a placebo ointment.¹⁷ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Zinc	Apply a topical preparation containing 0.025 to 0.9% zinc several times per day	Applying zinc topically may help prevent outbreaks and has been shown to stop the pain, burning, and tingling of a herpes outbreak.
Zinc Apply a topical preparation containing 0.025 to 0.9% zinc several times per day In a test tube, zinc is capable of inactivating the type of herpes virus responsible for the majority of genital herpes cases.¹⁸ Topical zinc may therefore help prevent outbreaks of genital herpes. One preliminary study treated people (four of whom had genital herpes) with a 4% zinc sulfate solution applied to the site of the initial outbreak.¹⁹ In all cases, the pain, burning, and tingling stopped within 24 hours of beginning the topical zinc therapy. The use of lower concentrations of zinc (0.025–0.05%) has also been shown effective against oral and genital herpes outbreaks.²⁰ ^{, 21} While topical zinc has been shown to be helpful, there is no convincing evidence that oral zinc offers the same benefits.²² What Else Is This Supplement Used For? See Drug Interactions

Supplement	Amount	Why
Cloves Topical	Refer to label instructions	Research suggests that substances found in cloves have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes.
Cloves Topical Test tube and animal research suggests that substances found in turmeric, cloves, eucalyptus, and seaweed have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes, but no human research using available herbal products has been performed.²³

Supplement	Amount	Why
Eucalyptus Topical	Refer to label instructions	Research suggests that substances found in eucalyptus have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes.
Eucalyptus Topical Test tube and animal research suggests that substances found in turmeric, cloves, eucalyptus, and seaweed have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes, but no human research using available herbal products has been performed.²⁴ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Licorice	Refer to label instructions	Licorice root contains antiviral substances, and ointments containing related substances are effective in treating herpes infections.
Licorice Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) contains antiviral substances²⁵ and ointments containing related substances are effective in treating herpes infections.²⁶^{, 27} While the use of topical licorice preparations to prevent or treat genital herpes has not been studied, some alternative healthcare practitioners recommend applying creams or gels containing licorice three to four times a day. What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

Supplement	Amount	Why
Turmeric	Refer to label instructions	Research research suggests that substances found in turmeric have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes.
Turmeric Test tube and animal research suggests that substances found in turmeric, cloves, eucalyptus, and seaweed have potential benefit for topical prevention of genital herpes, but no human research using available herbal products has been performed.²⁸ What Else Is This Supplement Used For?

References

Last Review: 05-11-2011

Learn more about Aisle7, the company.

The information presented in Aisle7 is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Self-treatment is not recommended for life-threatening conditions that require medical treatment under a doctor's care. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires June 2011.

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

Care Circle

It Seems That You Are Not Logged In...

Join Now

Log In
Help

Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:

Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.

The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.

Adding Someone
Saving Content
Adding Additional Topics & Conditions
Deleting Topics & Conditions

How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?

Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.

How do I save content to my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.

How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.

How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.