Wasn't sure whether to put this in SA or the body improvement forum (name evades me atm) so I'll just slap it in here - herpes is a std, by the way :P

I did some hardcore research and testing to try and make some kind of miracle cure, and I think I have stumbled across a surefire way to greatly decrease the effects of herpes simplex type 1 (I am not certain yet of it's effectiveness against genital (type 2) herpes simplex.

Basically a coldsore develops through a number of stages. As the virus "awakens" through some kind of stimulus (the virus lays dormant in the body), the virus causes a number of blisters to form on a mucous membrane or on the lips. As the virus spreads, the blisters develop and become larger and more painful, until they ultimately burst. Once the blisters are burst, they are suceptible to infection, which causes the wound to take a long time to heal. Infection also causes the sore to weep, and genereally look nasty.

Most over the over the counter coldsore creams do very little by themselves, and home remedies are usually as useless as yelling at the sore to go away.

The virus itself spreads through the amino acid L-arginine, the amino acid which affects the reproductive system and sex drive.

If you remove the medium through which it spreads, the virus is going to die quick smart, right? The easiest way to do this is go down to the pharmacy and buy a bottle of L-Lysine ($6.50 AUD) and scoff them down.

The Lysine and Arginine in your system are kind of like a weighted scale, the more you take of one, the less the other will be present in the system.

So all that done:

PREVENTION STAGE 1:

If you feel a tingle, itch, or swollen area on your lip, and you know its going to break out in a coldsore, immediately scoff 6 lysine pills. Eat another 3-6 at midday, and another 3-6 before bed. This should hopefully stop the virus from spreading and prevent the blistering.

Healing time - 0-2 days.

STAGE 2 BLISTERS:

If the blisters are already formed, but have not broken, immediately eat 6 lysine tablets, and continue with the lysine as above. What you wat to do now is dry out the blistees. Crush some table salt and a quarter of a lysine tablet into a powder with a pestle and mortar or two spoons, and apply it to the blister. This will sting, but it does two things - dries out the horrible yellowing sores that may appear in conjunction with the coldsores, and it also sucks the fluid out of the blisters through a kind of osmosis. Make sure the salt is powdered so you dont cut your lip open. Leave it on there, dont lick or wipe it off. Apply an OTC ointment like blistex, let it soak in, and then smear your lips in vaseline to prevent chappage.

Healing time - 3-5 days

STAGE 3 COLDSORE:

Shit, aye, you've left it too long, that a coldsore has formed on your lip. It's horrific, and sticks out to everyone. Women and men alike avoid you like the plague, because they may think you are leprous. (Not really, but thats what if can feel like sometimes hahaha)

The main thing you need to do is kill the virus, and prevent bacterial infection, so that the wound can dry out and heal. Take the lysine as instructed above, take 6 tablets, three times daily. This will stop the virus from spreading. Disinfect the area *often* with dettol or another topical anti bacterial cream, and dry out the sore by applying salt to it (this will hurt). Smear lips with vaseline using CLEAN hands, this will act as a barrier to any pathogens. It's imperitive that you keep it clean, dry and disinfected, this will give it the best chance to heal. The only thing you can do now is to let nature run its course.

Healing Time 5-8 days.

If no action is taken, coldsores can take up to 2 1/2 weeks to heal and can leave visible scarring. (from experience).

The key ingredient is LYSINE kids! It's the herpes virus that causes the sore to persist.

Kill the virus, and the sore will heal in a short while. Just dont pick at it!!

If anyone wants to add to this with their own recipies for treatments, feel free to tack it on the bottom.

Awesome work!

Great informative post. I believe it's quite accurate since I have a friend with "chronic coldsores" (she won't admit it's a form of herpes) and her doctor has her taking lysine.

hi, yeah i found the lysine worked, but instead of using salt to dry it, i just make a tiny hole in the blister, and drain it with a tissue, sounds gross, but its quick, and noticeably reduces swelling afterwards, just make sure u keep "drying" the fluid. also curiously i found after being on roaccutane, coldsores tended to heal faster and not blister as much.