Lysine for Herpes

Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that exhibits symptoms in the mouth and the genital region. This disease has a very high incidence and prevalence rate in the United States, as almost an alarming one-fourth of America's sexually active population currently has or has been inflicted by herpes at some point of time. Hence, the need to find a suitable herpes cure is something that researchers around the world are grappling with. However, the unfortunate truth is that once a person has been inflicted by herpes, he is a carrier of the virus for life. Hence, the only option left for people is to try to find measures to mitigate the symptoms and prevent them from springing up. One such option that is currently being explored is the use of lysine to cure herpes.

How Does Lysine Work

Lysine is an amino acid that is said to directly have a negative effect on the replication and subsequent proliferation of the herpes virus. Thus, this amino acid suppresses the replication rate of the virus, therefore, preventing symptoms of the disease from cropping up. However, what is more important to note is that another antagonist, amino acid arginine also has an important role in the process of virus replication. Hence, it can be concluded that arginine and lysine are antagonists in nature, so to prevent genital and oral herpes symptoms, one should have a diet that is high in lysine and low in arginine, as only then will lysine be effective.

Research is still going on regarding the actual possibility of the use of lysine to cure herpes. Although certain results seem to be contradictory, it is mostly agreed upon that the effectiveness of lysine for herpes will depend on many factors, including the dosage of lysine for cold sores, whether the lysine is obtained from food and salads or from lysine supplements, the immunity of the person etc. However, it is the dosage that is said to be most important as far as the efficacy of lysine is concerned.

Lysine Rich Foods

• Margarine
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Papaya
• Milk
• Beets
• Fish
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Bean sprouts
• Most fruits and vegetables

Lysine Supplements

For most people, especially those who have a low immunity, or those who get recurrent bouts of oral and genital herpes, only relying on eating certain types of food for obtaining the required amount of lysine to cure herpes does not suffice, as the effects take very long to show up and in the meantime, the symptoms keep aggravating. Hence, such people need to take lysine supplements to deal with herpes symptoms. These supplements are available in the form of pills that are rich in l-lysine which help to fight and suppress the overall activity of the herpes simplex virus. However, for those people that are wondering as to how much lysine will help in getting rid of the symptoms of herpes, it is of utmost importance that the person visit a certified doctor and then get the supplements type and dosage prescribed before using them. This is important because there are many benefits and side effects of l-lysine that one needs to made aware of before taking such supplements. Although no major side effect of lysine has been reported till date, some people who have high levels of calcium in their blood are susceptible to formation of gallstones and other obstructive diseases as a result of lysine side effects. Furthermore, overdose of lysine can lead to severe depletion in the levels of arginine, which may disrupt the process of protein synthesis in the body.

Thus, the option of using lysine for herpes may seem like a very tempting option for those people who are trying to prevent recurrent outbreaks of this disease, but it is important to first get the dose checked by a certified doctor before using lysine supplements.