Lysine for Cold Sores – A Natural Remedy for Cold Sores
Eating Lysine has been found to treat cold sores, all types of oral herpes on lips and cheeks and fever blisters. External application of lysine for cold sores has not shown any significant positive impact.
Foods containing lysine therefore can become good natural remedy for cold sores.
Lysine and Arginine are two different types of amino acids that live in the cells. It is the ratio of lysine vs arginine that decides whether the dormant herpes simplex viruses that live on nerve roots will outbreak or not.
Causes of Cold Sores
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) needs arginine as catalyst to grow and spread. The dormant HSV gets activated and begins destroying cells. In simple terms these destroyed cells manifest as cold Sores or Oral herpes when we see them on the mouth area such as lips and cheeks.
Of course Cold Sore is contagious and is referred as Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Kissing a person with cold sores and oral sex are main causes of these oral herpes also known as fever blisters.
How Does Lysine Help against Herpes, Cold Sores or Fever Blisters?
Lysine for cold sores actually restricts the HSV to multiply by controlling the Arginine. The Herpes Simplex Virus needs ample supply of Arginine to multiply. Eating Lysine rich food increases the Lysine Arginine ratio in the cells.
This reduces arginine supply and the outbreak of cold sores can be prevented. Once the cells are rich in lysine the reproduction or multiplication of HSV can’t happen as there is insufficient supply of arginine.
Now the question is how to increase the lysine content in the cells? For that you need to eat high lysine containing foods. Almost all types of cheeses, Margarine, Beets and papaya are good source of lysine rich foods for cold sores.
Agricultural Handbook, 1-23, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives a complete list of foods that are rich in Lysine and Arginine.
As we know now that Lysine is good for cold sores and arginine is not. Therefore on one side we eat more of lysine rich goods and on the other side we reduce intake of high arginine containing foods such as all kinds of nuts, blue berries and other berries and grapes.
With the above food discipline, the herpes viruses will not be able to multiply and outbreak of cold sores can be prevented.
Lysine is also available as capsules. Consult your doctor for recommended doses. External application of lysine or cold sores will have no impact. Therefore don’t waste your time and money on such applications.
If you can’t change your food habits then take lysine capsules orally, but no external application.
With so much of documented research Lysine has established itself as a good natural remedy for cold sores and herpes outbreaks.
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Lysine for Cold Sores