Symptoms

The herpes simplex virus may manifest as itching and burning blisters and sores located in the genital area. Eventually, the blisters open, leaving painful ulcers that heal within 10 to 21 days. Symptoms tend to flare up then disappear for periods. When symptoms arise, the person may feel sick and suffer from fever, headaches, and swollen lymph nodes, especially located in the groin. Cold sores may appear around the mouth.

What is Herpes?

From Modern Western Medicine

The illness created by the herpes simplex virus, which is communicated during sexual contact with an infected person and manifests around the genitals. The illness flares up in periodic attacks that often occur during sexual intercourse, sunbathing, or when the immune system is weakened. The affected person should avoid sexual activity when the symptoms assert themselves to protect one’s partner from infection.

Once infected, the person can not be cured, but approximately 40% of infected people never have a second attack, while most others experience between four and five attacks annually for several years. Eventually, the flare-ups become wider apart and less severe in nature. Although herpes can not be cured, early treatment may prevent or reduce the severity of the symptoms. The blisters and sores are treated with antiviral medication, the pain with over-the-counter analgesics. Warm baths with a tablespoon of salt are recommended to soothe and assist in the healing process. Pregnant women may require a cesarean section if a flare-up occurs while giving birth; this prevents the baby from being infected.

From Traditional Medicine

The treatment of herpes requires that the person maintain a strong immune system, which is boosted by the recommendations described below. With vigilance and a balanced, healthy lifestyle, herpes flare-ups can be limited or made to disappear permanently.

Remedies

Foods to Eat

For at least six months:

  • Whole grains, at least twice a day: especially brown rice, barley, wheat, oats, sweet rice, millet, and whole grain noodles
  • A wide variety of green vegetables, steamed, twice a day
  • Root vegetables, such as carrots, rutabagas, onions, turnips, ginger, and parsnips, at least once a day
  • Chlorella and blue-green algae
  • Beans four to seven times a week
  • Seaweeds, especially nori, arame, and wakame, 1 to 2 tsp. daily
  • Miso soup with wakame and vegetables, daily, to alkalize blood and make it more resistant
  • Sprouts
  • Parsley
  • Bee pollen
  • Garlic
  • Apples

 

Foods to Avoid

  • Meat
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Fried food
  • Oils
  • Sweets
  • Spirulina (increases dampness in lower warmer in cases of herpes)
  • Refined carbohydrates
  • Alcohol
  • Fruit
  • Tomatoes
  • Nuts and nut butters
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Minimal raw foods

 

Herbs to Treat Hepatitis

  • Make a decoction of the roots of sarsaparilla, dandelion, and gentian in equal parts. (If stools become loose, use only sarsaparilla.)
  • Make a tincture using 2 oz. of Oregon grape root, 1 oz. chaparral, 1 oz. echinacea, and ¼ oz. prickly ash bark. Mix the 4 oz. of herbs in 1 pint of vodka. Let stand in cool, dark area for 14 days, shaking twice a day. Strain on the 14th day through a fine cheesecloth. Put the tincture in a dark, tightly capped bottle. Take 1 tsp. three times a day in warm water, or 1 tbsp. morning and night.
  • Goldenseal: apply topically
  • Green kukui nut: apply sap to lesion three to four times per day
  • Oregon grape root: 1 oz. herb to 1 pint water, 1 cup, two or three times per day
  • Michael Tierra’s Planetary Herbs: Formula 14 disperses damp heat from the lower warmer. Take 2 – 4 tablets, three times daily, with warm water. (Can be purchased or ordered through your health food store.) 

 

Hydrotherapy

  • Bath in common black tea leaves. Add at least 6 oz. tea leaves to very hot bath water, allow to cool and sit in it for about an hour.
  • Ice packs relieve pain and itching

 

Physiotherapy

Meditation and chanting helps deal with stress, which is important for avoiding outbreaks

Chinese Medicine

Herpes is characterized as dampness combined with heat in the lower burner, reproductive and eliminative area of the body. Eat foods recommended for dealing with this condition.

Supplements

  • Beta-carotene: 6 – 30 mg per day
  • Vitamin B1: 1.5 mg per day
  • Vitamin B6: 2 mg per day
  • Vitamin C: 100 – 500 mg per day
  • Zinc: 15 mg per day
  • Vitamin E: 100 – 400 IU per day; topical application 1 or 2 times a day during flare-ups