Cold sores or fever blisters are fluid filled blisters caused by viral infection on or around lips. They appear in clusters and are very painful.
Cold sores can spread through close contact such as kissing. The Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1) that causes cold sores can remain dormant for years but remains contagious.
You can heal cold sores with antiviral medications but there is no cure for it. It can again outbreak anytime when your immunity is low. You can use lysine, an amino acid found in proteins, to reduce pain and heal cold sores fast.
Table of Contents
- What is Lysine and How it Heals Cold Sores?
- How to Use Lysine for Cold Sores?
- Other Cold Sores Remedies
- Precautions with Lysine for Cold Sores and Other Uses
- Other Tips and Precautions
What is Lysine and How it Heals Cold Sores?
Lysine is scientifically known as 2,6-diaminohexanoic acid, alpha-epsilon aminocaproic acid is an essential amino acid for human nutrition. Body doesn't produce it so it is taken in by diet or by supplementation.
Lysine has been studied for many ailments ranging from reducing pain, improving bone and muscle mass in osteoporosis, improving anxiety and many other conditions. Lysine is now widely used in prevention and treatment of herpes infections and cold sores.
Lysine is found in proteins and following foods are its good sources:
Animal Sources
- Lean Beef
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Pork
- Eggs
Fishes
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Snapper
- Mackerel
- Halibut
- Pollock
- Sea Bass
- Haddock
- Cod
Seafood
- Shrimp
- Cuttlefish
- Lobster
- Octopus
- Crab
- Clams
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Squids
Dairy
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Butter
- Milk
Seeds & Nuts
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Pistachio Nuts
- Chia Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Watermelon Seeds
- Cashew Nuts
- Flax Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
- Almonds
Pulses
- Soybeans
- White Beans
- Lentils
- Split Peas
- Cranberry (Roman) Beans
- Yellow Beans
- Pinto Beans & Kidney Beans
- Black Beans
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Grains
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Seitan
Many vegetables and fruits also have low lysine contents. Animal sources are generally richer in lysine than vegetarian sources.
How to Use Lysine for Cold Sores?
1. Eat Foods Rich in Lysine
- Take 2-3 servings of red meat such as beef and lamb every week.
- Add some Chicken, turkey, eggs and seafoods also during the week
- Consume cheese during breakfast
- Eat pulses and lentils daily if you are vegetarian.
- Snack with handful of nuts and seeds daily
2. Lysine Supplements for Prevention and Treatment of Cold Sores
- Take 1-3 grams lysine supplements daily
- Increase doses during outbreak of cold sores
- Consult your doctor to regulate exact doses and number of days
- Consume more nutritious food to improve immunity and heal fast
3. Combination of Lysine Supplements and Lysine Rich Foods
- Take lower doses ( about 1 gram) of lysine supplement for cold sores daily
- Consume animal sources of lysine if you prefer
- Eat plant based sources of lysine if you are a strict vegetarian
- Eat both animal and plant based sources to maintain good balance if fat and lysine if you don't have any food restrictions.
Other Cold Sores Remedies
- Lemon tea
- Echinacea tea
- Lemon balm
- Licorice
- Aloe vera gel
- Peppermint oil
- Witch hazel oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Ice
- Sunscreens
- Stress reduction
- Probiotics
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
Precautions with Lysine for Cold Sores and Other Uses
- Very high amounts of lysine can cause kidney and liver troubles. Don't take lysine if you already have kidney or liver impairments
- Taking calcium supplements with lysine can cause too much of calcium absorption leading to complications.
- Lysine supplements can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal.pain in some people. Avoid if you get any of these symptoms.
- Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding periods since there is not much known about its impact during these times.
Other Tips and Precautions
- Stay away from close contacts like kissing with anyone who has or had cold sores.
- Eat healthy food to maintain good immunity
- Sleep well
- Exercise
- Do not touch your cold sores otherwise you increase the risk of spreading in wider area
Bottomline is, cold sores is a contagious viral disease. If You take sufficient precautions, take medication and lysine then you can reduce your pain and heal it fast.