Zelda,

I was once plagued by fever blisters in high school until I tried this. Apply H2O2 to the back of your neck, (the top of your spine) cover an area about 2" round and wait for it to dry. Apply it to the area around the blister as well, use a qtip, be sure not get the peroxide on the lip itself. (You dont have to do a 2"circle here)After it has dried, apply a light film of DMSO cream, (available at health food stores in rose scent)to both areas and let dry. You may get a nasty taste in your mouth from the DMSO, its working. Oxegenating the virus kills it. Do this at first tingle of a fever blister and the outbreak will be minimized, use during an outbreak will make it less severe. I used this method and have not had a fever blister in years. Hopefully you will have the same results, give it a little time.

Herpes blisters will self heal in about two weeks, so anything you use now will not add much. At this stage the infection is past and you are just waiting for the skin lesion to heal over. Ordinary vaseline will keep the lip skin moist and prevent the cracking which delays healing.

The antivirals like Zovirax need to be started when you feel the tingling BEFORE the actual blisters appear.

Second Judy about the Zovirax.

However, I no longer use Zovirax, but rather Valtrex if I get a case of herpes. It works much faster, and I start it with the first tingling, and generally it will stop the blister from forming.

I done lots of research on herpes, and it is a very strange virus. I read that it is stored in the sacrum and moves up and down the spine. I never had any symptoms of herpes until I broke my sacrum while skiing.

The old fashioned name for this condition is Cold Sores. Here are some remedies for treating it. As has already been said, any treatment should be started before the sore actually appears - as soon as you notice tingling or any other sign. And you apply the cream or whatever as often as you think about it during the day - I tend to get very enthusiastic about it and apply it roughly every half hour or so. If you hit it hard enough right from the beginning, before the sore actually develops, you won't get an ugly sore at all. I find Tea-tree oil to be the best treatment, but Lemon Balm is a specific for the problem. The essential oil applied direct is the best way to use it. Keep up the treatment for several days after the sore has disappeared, too.

The Herpes simplex virus, once you've got it, stays with you for life. There is no cure, just treatments for the symptoms. You'll find you'll often get a cold sore during times of stress. It is highly contagious, so no kissing while you've got the sores, and no sharing of drinking utensils etc.

Apply frequent dabs of eau-de-cologne, Plum juice, Lemon juice or Tea-tree oil.

Eat Garlic or Ginger root, or apply either to unopened sores.

Chew a piece of Pawpaw leaf and apply to the area.

Drink a cup of Dandelion tea each day until the sore disappears. This is also a good treatment for Shingles.

Apply a little of the gel from a cut Aloe Vera leaf several times a day.

Apply a drop or two of any of the following essential oils several times a day: Bergamot, Echinacea, Geranium, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Rose, Myrrh, Myrtle, Orange, Oregano, Peppermint, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Thyme.

Rub an ice cube over the cold sore as soon as you feel it coming on. Repeat several times a day.

Apply a lip balm made with Lemon Balm, or dab on some Lemon Balm tea.

Dab on a few drops of St JohnÂs Wort essential oil. Use only if the sore is drying out.

Ive had this problem since I was 8.
There is a family holiday photo with me when I was 8 and a hugh "cold sore" in the corner of my mouth about the size of a ten cent coin!

I can usually tell when it is coming as it starts with a small bump,some tingling,then 2-3 days later its a blister and lasts for 2 weeks.

Then i discovered Lysine.
This stuff is really good.

It shortened the period that the blister lasted.
So that was good,but it didnt stop it from turning into a blister.

It wasnt till I got onto Blackmores "LYP-SINE"that things really changed...it hasnt happened for 9 months!

It seems like a miracle because I have been dealing with this for decades.

This is a record for me as I usually get them every 2-3 months.

I used to take one tablet ( of normal lysine)3 times a day when the bump first is noticed..get it early.

Then about 9 months ago I got a really bad case...the wost for a long time.

But I was so fed up with it,that when it was recomended by a friend to try the Blackmores one..I took 2 tablets 3 times a day...I was just sooooo sick of it.

I woke up on the 3rd day and it was gone,just a small scab.

I drank plenty of water as well.

As I said it hasnt happened for 9 months since I took the Non-recommened dose,so its fantastic stuff.

And i havnt had any small bumps showing up either.

If you cant get it where you live...let me know and I can get some to you.

I know what these things are like,I hate them,and Im glad this product works.

This product has more than Lysine in it..Vit C..Zinc also...and for some reason it works better than Lysine on its own.

Doesn't colloidal silver kill the virus?

ltcollins: The virus is not in the sacrum. Your immune system suppresses it after an episode and it becomes dormant and stays in junctions between nerves. When you stressed, the skin cracks, or, for many women, hormones are right, the virus reactivates in the nerve and forms blisters along whatever nerve. That is why, with a big attack, the blisters will be in lines -- they follow the nerve.

With repeated attacks close together you will have more antibodies against it and episodes will be shorter in duration.

Esoterica: I don't know if silver kills it or not, but you would have to get the silver injected into the nerve before an attack for it to work. Blisters are a symptom, not the actual infection and topical silver will not work.

Here is a link that might be useful: Herpes

Judy,

Thank you for your information. I appreciate all the information that I can find about herpes.

However, I read many years ago, well about 20 years ago, about the herpes virus being stored in the sacrum. So I have always assumed this statement to be true. I also find it very interesting that I never had a case of herpes until I broke my sacrum, and within a week I had my first outbreak.

I have put in a Google search and have come up with numerous articles about the herpes/sacrum connection.

A Virus That Hides and Sleeps
Nerve fibers extend to all areas of the skin to provide physical sensations like touch, pain, and temperature. When the herpes virus enters the body, it travels up the nerve fibers to the sacral ganglion, which is a group of nerve cells located in the sacrum at the base of the spine. When it's in the resting state, it is "lying dormant." In this state, the herpes virus is so quiet that the body's defenses don't even sense it's there, and the virus is not destroyed by the immune system. See Herpes.

I also found the following:

Genital herpes outbreaks are very painful. Other than the localized pain (which at times is really excruciating) I also feel feverish, weak and exhausted with the outbreaks. Herpes is a virus that is stored in the nerve endings of the sacrum. When the virus is active, it literally feels like my tailbone is vibrating and it makes me extremely agitated. My nervous system gets completely overloaded and I often have trouble sleeping, which sucks because rest is the most important thing to get the outbreak under control.

The difference is between oral and genital herpes. Oral herpes affects the trigeminal (facial) nerve and lies dormant in the trigeminal ganglion. Genital herpes will be in sacral ganglion.

The original question in this thread was about oral herpes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oral Herpes

Thank you for the information.

You know that when I first was diagnosed with herbs more than 20 years ago that I wrote the Herpes Foundation and asked that they send me some literature on herpes. At that point in time when they mailed me the information it stated that there was no difference between the two herpes viruses. I had always thought that there was, but the literature that I received from them said that there was no difference between.

Thank you for clearing up this issue.

Thanx everyone for the posts and for the information provided. I think it's gone now, after 2 weeks, there is no tingling any more. I had never had any cold sores before so I didn't know what to do as I dont' know much about this matter. I treated it simply with vaseline ; next time, if it appears ( I hope not... ) I shall try lemon balm or tea tree. I also had an aphtha ( mouth ulcer ) inside my mouth, I used lemon oil and bergamot oil to treat this. ( one drop of each in a glass of water and I gargled ). Thank you very for the tips, I copied-pasted this page and I 'll keep it.

The previous suggestion of lysine. Yes!! I use it for mine
and it gets rid of it in two-three days. I have tried
several other herbal mixtures and the results weren't half
as good.

I have had this as well as my children. It is from a lysine -arginine imbalance, too much arginine. nuts sugar etc. look it up. collodial silver, I love it!!!! also try anything that has lots of lysine in it of course L-lysine supplemets as soon as you feel the tingling!

I've had fever blisters my whole life...terrible ones that seem to deform the lips. I found something at http://www.doctorscoldsore.com/ that actual stops them from erupting. If you apply it when you start to feel the tingle, the fever blister never comes. I am in no way connected to the folks that make this, just trying to help my fellow fever blister sufferers.

When I've used it (often) they never make it to the outside. i.e., never become a sore. But the testimonials say that if you don't get them before they erupt, this stuff also dries them up very quicky when they do become a sore.

It's the only thing I've ever found that stops them and I've been using it since 2000. I'm 53 by the way and have had a lot of embarrassment from them as those who get them can relate to.

It's always interesting to see how many people will apparently Google a topic, find a thread here on the Herbalism forum, register on GW and immediately start promoting a product.

The linked website raises many of the red flags seen in the promotion of unproven remedies. In this case there are claims that one product will effectively treat a whole host of unrelated skin conditions. There is however no evidence of clinical trials for safety and efficacy, just unreliable testimonials. I also couldn't find any description of exactly what this wonder remedy is.

Sorry to see an M.D. involved in this kind of promotion.

Nice that he's involved in the welfare of pets, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Herpes infections and effective treatments

I did'nt think the article very helpful.boring and too technical eric.Did'nt think anything helped virus infection but time. even herbs can only eleviate pain for cold sores.

If you take a good look at it it is actually full of helpful information. It is technical because it is a technical paper.

Also Things can be done about viruses, Just look at the success we have had treating HIV. Its still much much more complicated than treating a bacterial infection, but there are drugs that help a great deal with herpes by slowing the viral reproduction so that the cold sores come fewer and farther between.

I agree with lysine. It has always been the best and fastest.

Hi
I have used different products. L-Lysine works ok. I have been taking red marine algie and I find taken 2 times a day has significantly reduced the number of outbreaks. On the rare occasion I have issues I double my amount as soon as I feel the symptoms and usually dont break out. I dont like the prescribed meds as they are very bad for your liver.

A lot of this threads remedies are not immediately available.
At the onset of symptomatic tingling, to stop any development of an unsightly blister & obviate the need for scabbing that will take weeks to fall away there is a really easy trick.
Buy a product for gum pain, like tube sold for denture irritation (these are a heavy colloid designed to stay in place) & apply (dab it on, do not rub it in) this directly on the lips where feel a herpes cold sore is brewing.
Repeat as often as deem needed, throughout your waking hours, for as many days as feel threatened. If you do not test scrape your lips with your teeth, or probe lick the spot with your tongue, or scrub wash spot, or hot compress the site the treated cold sore will NOT develop - unless you stupidly dehydrate the site from excess direct sun exposure, thereby promoting the site's skin to crack.
These tubes for denture pain are way cheaper than any products touted just for labial herpes. The active ingredient, 10% benzocaine, is a local anesthetic that keeps you from fretting the site into a full blown outbreak.
When you use this & let the tingling site alone it will still threaten to get worse, but in reality the bump will dry out un-noticed by anyone but you. This drying up is not so much the lip's meaty tissue as it is the virus & auto-immune response factors being kept to a minimum inside the flesh.
Keep the benzocaine tube capped & you can use it again for years. It is also very convenient to take with you so can re-apply throughout the day. It is a heavy cream & people might notice the white daubed on your lip - be resolute & don't rub it in (remember, roughing up the site will make the outbreak course unstoppable).
It is my experience that this simple remedy also makes the repeat intervals of outbreak less frequent.

:( I have one on my lower lip at the moment..i take Abreva it heals in about 3 days.

Here is a link that might be useful: Abreva.com

The link just posted seems designed to support "Jordan"'s economics project, not give information about cold sore relief.

The topical over-the-counter product mentioned (Abreva, a.k.a. docosanol) is based on a substance found in plant leaves so is somewhat herbal, but is not as effective as the maker originally claimed.

"While Abreva (docosanol) may lessen the duration and discomfort of recurrent herpes outbreaks, the benefit is not marked. During the early days of its marketing, consumers were misled to believe that Abreva "cut the healing time for cold sores in half." Settlement of a class-action suit filed in April 2002 brought advertising into line with more realistic expectations for this medication."