Effective Home Treatments & Natural Remedies for Shingles

Recently my mom had Shingles and was very worried as her aunt had suffered unbearable nerve pain for many days. She used 6 drops doses of MMS three times a day and the condition gradually improved with each dose. By the third day, it was gone.

Several years ago on a Thursday morning, my left forehead developed some bumps and started itching.as the day wore on, the itching not only got worse but started weeping ooze.

Then came the pain. Not very good with all three happening at the same time. Next morning doctor says shingles with a prescription of lower tabs. Saturday called up local health food store. Owner says sure no problem come on down.

Wife went down, picked up a supplement called monolaurin and some vit c. Took vit c every half hour (over half dozen) and three monolaurin every hour.

Monday morning got off the lower tabs because pain was gone. By Thursday weeping had stopped. Monday went back to doc who stated I could go back to work. Itching gone. Next was the creepy crawlers, that took longer. About a month. Just kept taking both products until both bottles gone. No more creepy crawlers.

What are creepy crawlers, whatever it was that followed your shingles?

Hi Donna,

I think its a tingly feeling from being acidic.

As I finished my first bout with Shingles, which I fought mainly with Hydrogen Peroxide, Castor oil and Olive Leaf capsules, I had a similar experience as Michael of Mobile Ala. I thought of it as a tingly feeling, what ever it was, I used a borax hair wash to calm my scab.

The interesting thing I drank a lemon drink, my fake smoothie, a whole lemon with a glass of water in blender skin and all. and the tingly feeling left never to return. Well I did start drinking that lemon drink most days.

I wondered if perhaps I was to acidic, and if that was the cause of the tingly feeling. Whatever the reason the Lemon water was the answer for me.

HisJewel

Country Girl's Home Remedy for Shingles:

I am on my 3rd week of the battle w/Shingles & excited they are healing & leaving! I am 43 yrs. old, mother of 3, & was told stress induced my Shingles. My 1st week I was put on the Anti Viral Medication. Told my Dr.my theory on drying them out, protecting the skin. He told me if I could endure it, it would probably work.....

After the doctor's appt., I went home & put rubbing alcohol on the rash (oh it burns as it's attacking the virus, & then it stops, so does the pain/itching/burning.It can be extremely painful where the virus is strong). After the alcohol dried, using a Q-tip I poured Betadine (iodine) on it, then putting it on all the rash. Betadine seemed to seal the rash from traveling. About the rash..It looked awful, my husband stated it looked like someone spilled hot grease all over my lower side. It was not a small bout w/Shingles. My rash was from my lower back all the way to the front... but with my home remedy on 2 blisters ever fested up & crusted over. The nerve pain was different & I had to use Ibroprofen. This is my 3rd week, I've worked on building my immune system up & now I am almost healed from the rash & pain. For me this home remedy helped & I am sharing in hopes if it can help someone else. God Bless.

I'm on my second week fighting the Shingles and am on meds now. Used the recipe for putting on the rash and did help some, but switched to Calamine lotion to dry out the pimples and that worked. Now the pain started, but I put a super magnet the size of a penny on it and the pain disappeared. Thanks for the good tips! Magnets work for me.

How long did you leave the magnet on?

I would tape with scotch tape to my shirt the magnet and leave it there all day and night. The magnets help improve the blood flow and speed up the healing time.

My husband has been taking the gut health bundle from Thorne only for a few days and It appears he broke out in the shingles. There must absolutely be a gut connection. The bundle includes Bacilus Coagulans, fiber, prebiotics and glutamine to heal your gut but I really think it provoked the shingles.

I thought anti-biotics did not help as shingles is viral. Why are you taking them? Want to know, cause I am trying to make a plan also. Thanks

My husband was prescribed an antibiotic because he had pus oozing out of his nose area. It's a sign of infection.

I am 53 years old and have shingles 5 times. The Dr convinced me to have the vaccine which I did 4 months ago. I did not break out with the rash this time just fever blisters around and in mouth, but have had EXTREME nerve burning pain that is nearly debilitating at times. I have tried acupuncture, lysine, coconut capsules, ACV, so far NO relief.The Pain IS horrible in the middle of my back clear around to front of ribs, my naturopath says it is my gallbladder channel (which I had my gallbladder removed 3 years ago) ANY suggestions would be appreciated.

To Laurie,

From Poplar Springs,

Re shingles.

Of course caused by a virus...and the things you are taking have some anti viral value. But for shingles I have successfully taken colloidal silver and added in DMSO and applied topically. Three applications using the combo as a poultice for 20 minutes on affected area. If condition is long term, there may be nerve damage and so even though the virus is killed, the damaged nerves continue; in which case I use Calcium AEP (google "nutrition review calcium aep")... Dr Robert Adkins' favorite go to for his MS patient's neuropathy and nerve rebuilding capacity. Acts on the cellular level.

Licorice extract by Natures Answer...Put in on three times a day all over the infected area. It will be gone in 3 days...If you get it the first day it appears, it will dissappear the same day...Cheap fix for $8.95

Laurie: Alpha Lipoic Acid or Thioctic Acid would very likely help as a nerve protector as well as heavy metal chelator (many vaccines contain small amounts of mercury which is very toxic to nerves). The compound BHT, the herb St Johnswort is anti-viral.

Chronic or recurring Shingles is a definite sign of immune dysfunction or sometimes cancer. Definitely do some detox remedies found here on E.C. Immune boosting remedies fallowing detox will be necessary. Purify your air & water. Alkalizing remedies will likely be necessary as acidosis is both the result of many conditions as well as further aggravating any condition.

Try and get some basic cancer screenings for safety sake.

Agree. A friend of mine got diagnosed with Lymphoma after a severe case of shingle.The only problems with it that it adds fear, the cause of many body malfunctions itself.

Lidocaine patches and creams that contains lidocaine should help ease the pain.

For shingles.. Ok pure and simple 1/8 cup of coconut Oil, 10 drops each lavender, teatree and euclyptus oil. Apple to areas that are infected with shingles. Feel the relief of taxing your immune system with the pain and discomfort of the virus. Also, applying peppermint oil with coconut oil to your feet will also help with getting a restful sleep.

I was looking for an internal solution to the Shingles problems for my older mother.

I very quickly cured the external shingles with geranium oil after reading some scientific papers about geranium oil. It worked far better than anything I tried, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, etc so I thought I would pass that along. Geranium oil appears to be the magic bullet for shingles externally if my mother's case is typical.

As far as reducing the stress on the internal organs, body due the virus, I tried common antiviral organics on her after the doctors prescription antivirals failed to do anything, externally or internally, and he refused to prescribe anymore for her, even though she has an expensive private plan. The 'kind' physicians told her to go home and die more or less. He must get a bonus for not prescribing

I have her on...

• 2000 mg day of neem leaf extract -very, very safe strong antiviral , antibacterial, useful to fight cancer as well
• 2000 mg a day of olive leaf extract, strong antiviral
• 2000 mg a day of elderberry extract, strong antiviral, safe
• 6000 mg equivalent of garlic oil, strong antiviral, safe
• 6000 mg a day of time released buffered vitamin c,
• also vitamin e, d, b-complex
• and Cayenne extract

That provided some significant improvement to the stress on her, but I think I need to dose her higher on the cayenne extract. I was not watching her carefully enough on the Cayenne and she was not dosing her high enough.

There are other antivirals out there that are strong like licorice root but they can't be taken for a long time at higher doses. I had her on 2000 mg a day of licorice root for about a month.

Had shingles on head, in hair, but it began with an odd red welt looking like a mosquito or spider bite on my neck (painless, itchless). They say if they diagnose it within a day or two, from this welt, they have a treatment to lessen it. I have my doubts, though. Acupuncture through an acupuncturist/herbalist that knows Chinese herbs would be something I would try right away, also, if living where there was one.

I tried apple cider vinegar on it once, but it did not work. The scalp was soggy already. I used rose water which gave temporary (only) relief. Getting a bonnet for your blow dryer to dry it if usng Apple Cider Vinegar would be a plus. Maybe internally, but I feel if I had not been run down and maybe short on vitamin c and others, but stressed and run-down from the stress, it would not have taken hold in my case. Drying the scalp might have helped, Also, to protect hair follicles, taking remedies and vits. to help hairloss if it occurs later. Then, getting to bed early can do wonders to combat being run down. Hair-skin vitamins.

Vitamins for hair are a must if it is on the head. I made the mistake of getting the new shingles vaccination about 2 years later. That was about the time I started losing hair. The vaccination made me feel a little like I had it again. I cannot blame my hair loss all on one thing. It could have been partly from vit. C deficiency and Fukishima fallout. It has been largely stopped with vitamin and even culinary herb supplements and oil treatments (castor oil). Also, plus various things I can do to increase circulation in the scalp.

The vaccination for it was probably the final straw as far as the alopecia coming on. I would definitely not ever take another.

WORKED TEMPORARILY

My Wife in looking through burn remedies, (because that is what I thought I had) it turned out to be Shingles. Found 1000mg Vitamin C in eight oz. of water then sprayed or covered with soaked gauze. Well at first I bet I got 90% relief for the pain. and it lasted hours. But for some reason with each application the Vit c ( and we are talking the acidic powder kind) It got less and less affective. I went to 1000mg in 4 oz, to 2000 in 4 oz, to 3000 in 4oz, to 4000 in 4oz water. I think I did the 4000 only about six times, as it gets to astringent to apply. It was extremely helpful at first for the shingles pain and then for some reason it lost it's effect. The spray is a bit brutal as anything cool coming out of a spray bottle is going to make you jump.(I did Microwave for 18 sec at 1100 watts) but think it is more effective a bit on the cool side.t I used the vit-c as a spray for the first week before switching over to applying soaked gauze to the shingles.(easier less shocking) (Letting the gauze rest on the shingles about 10 sec. and then moving on. As the days turn into weeks it becomes almost ineffective. I ended up stepping down with the dosage. But I would say my overall treatment dose was 2000mg in 4 oz of water. It was revolutionary with the first few treatments.( and that was at 1000mg in 8 oz.) And I got to start the first night coming back from the clinic, and had a great reduction in pain levels. Too bad it doesn't last. I think it just starts to act differently, in that it stabilizes the pain, it makes it more at a constant rather than being buffeted by different shingles all at different pain levels. In my 5th week and still in considerable pain.

I have seen other posts here that this product is effective for shingles.

http://www.durhamsbeefarm.com/h/11/wondersalve-shingles-treatment.htm

I hope you get some relief soon. Also, look under the "Ailments" tab on Earth Clinic under "Shingles" and see other suggestions for what has helped others. Best wishes.

Mark: Get Wonder Salve. Read the reviews.

Mark - I've posted before on this, but it bears repeating. A few years back my mother had a horrible case of the shingles. Her doctor put her on nerve pain killers, some gross gel and sent her home and said give it a few weeks. I researched and found this solution for her, she was 100% better in less than two weeks. L-Lysine, 3000-5000mg per day / ACV soaked cloth on the shingles 3-4 times a day / and the wonder salve from Durham Bee that everyone is talking about. That probably did the trick best. Please try it and good luck.

You might want to try taking the vit C orally and not topically. The herpes virus that causes it targets nerves. Try vit C and Lysine together orally and see if it helps.

Interesting because it seemed that vitamin C Caused my flare ups.

Before my first patch of pimples I had been taking 3 grams of vitamin C quite a while for one reason or another. I had no idea it was Shingles at the time. but after a while everytime I would take the Vitamin C, the patch would itch. So I stopped taking the large dose of C. I went down to a 500mg now and then with little or no problem.

Let me give an excerpt from my post on Shingles I sent to Tina in the Apple section back in August and put it in the Shingles Section.

Excerpt from the Apples Remedies Section:

I have been silently fighting shingles for several months. (mostly with Hydrogen Peroxide and Castor oil, Olive Leaf capsules, and Lysine). But the shingles seemed to have left a Tingly feeling. My scalp felt itchy (so I washed with backing soda the itch would leave a while), and even my face felt tingly. I have never experienced anything like it in my life.

A few details that was not mentioned in that post. Something triggered that batch of pimples on my leg to a painful point till they became blisters. Right here I want to give Baking Soda a shout out, Because it was the Baking Soda Paste made with a couple drops of cold water that initially took the pain away.

What happen on the first day that the blisters came out, I covered them with iodine. The wrong move was I really covered them. I put the iodine on it and wrapped it up pain and all. The next day when I removed the rolled gauze the blisters were flat and my skin was burnt.

When I checked with Earth Clinic and other sites, and found out about using ice cold water, or a Baking Soda paste, and a few other suggestions. I did the Baking Soda paste a couple of days as it was very calming. It took the itch away. When I would remove the baking Soda, I rubbed on Castor Oil. When the pain was gone. I used the Castor oil and Hydrogen Peroxide to finish the work. My skin healed nicely, I can't tell it was ever burnt. What may be important info for someone, is that he whole lemon juiced in water cured the tingling feeling. I did put a little baking soda in it. I guess a regular drink alkalizing drink of lemon and Baking Soda could do the same. Tina was talking of juicing a whole lemon in a smoothie, when I tried it the tingling feeling from the shingles went. Bam!

I have been done with the shingles a few months now, no pimples, no pain. However, when I started a heavy dose of C to chase a threatening cold. The cold was quickly averted. I have been taking the high does of C about Five days now. And, I can feel a burning where the patch of shingles once was.

Do anyone know if high doses of vitamin C can cause a Shingles flare up? Thanks for your time and shared knowledge.

HisJewel

Greetings TimH,

Would you happen to know if large dose of vitamin C causes Shingles flare ups? Thanks you in advance for your kindness, help and advice.

HisJewel

Hi Timh,

Well this certainly makes since. I will try buffering the 500 mgs dosage until I know for sure if more is safe for me. And okay, now I will get to work on my digestive system. Maybe I will try the Colloidal Silver to help clear up any infections, I have never tried that before.

When I stopped the C by evening the next day the burning was gone. There are a few pimples but there is no itch or burning.

After I work on my gut a while then maybe I will try the higher vitamin C again, (buffered of cause).

Thanks Again for your help,

HisJewel

You are welcome HJ. Remember the old ND saying "Good health begins in the gut". Since most of our immune system or cells is in the gut, chronic infection like Shingles flareups, can be cured by improving the gut.

Also on the list for improving intestinal health is L-Glutamine and Probiotics, but be sure to start with my previous suggestion to insure the healing process, and not end up treating symptoms. Also for immune health and chronic infection is Zinc deficiency (very common), so consider supplementing a minimal Zinc/Copper.

Okay Timh

I will follow these instructions. And prayerfuly will flee Shingles altogether.

Sincere Thanks.

HisJewel

Happy, Healthy, Year, That's the Plan!

Greetings Timh, Mama To Many and Everyone,

Timh you ask me to let you know how it went concerning the vitamin C,

Well the good news is I'm back up to an occasional 2000 to 3000 vitamin C and shingles flare ups . Now I buffer the C with a bit of baking soda water. To add a little more info, the C that I was taking was an already buffered and powered C, however I have not gone back to that. But instead now I am taking the tablets and baking soda water.

At the time I had the last flare up I dropped anything else I though may have contributed to the shingles flare up. I am sure stress and revisitiation from child hood diseases had a lot to do with as Mama To Many mentioned.

My hope was that if I stayed away from the Chocolate and Nuts when I did not have the Lysine to balance the Arginine that shingles would not come looking for me.

Well the shingles still found me. Maybe I had arginine and did not realize it. Any way Shingles always seemed to flare when I had an extra dose of C. So in posing the question to EC this is what I was able to follow from Timh advice: I started working on my digestive system. Started back taking my probiotics, I bought and started taking Zinc, I already use BSM which has enough copper, I did not have oil of oregano, but put my olive leaf back to work. For L - Gultamine I started buying and eating raw purple Cabbage, which also made a great snack. I did not buy the Colloidal Silver but all seems to be much better concerning my fight with shingles.

So the blessing of extra C is back with me. I will continue to work on my gut by eating watchfully.

Thanks again EC, Mama To Many, Timh, and Everyone.

HisJewel

Thanks, Timh.

The licorice root extract did not get rid of the shingles blisters, though it did seem to help the areas of skin and muscle which only had tiny red spots.

There it made the area generally feel less swollen and more returned to "normal" tissue.

Prior to that what had worked best was calamine lotion. However my initial experience with calamine lotion made me search further:

The initial application of calamine lotion really helped, though it is VERY messy to apply to the calf and shin and ankle. Almost immediately, I got relief and the large ugly blisters stopped weeping and seemed to become inactive and dry up.

The next day the rash was nearly gone. So I spred the lotion over the area again. The result was that the (shingles) infection appeared all over the area covered with lotion, so I stopped using the calamine.

I don't think I knew it was shingles at that time.

I tried apple cider vinegar and various other "remedies" but nothing really helped.

I believe the calamine lotion only seemed to spread the shingles, but really the shingles were just in the middle of blasting my leg with the outbreak.

Since the calamine did dry up the blisters, I tried it again. It provided relief and dried up the blisters, but it also made the areas with only small blisters or sensitive to touch, dry beyond reason.

So while it allieviated the pain from the large blisters, walking made the rest of the area covered with calamine lotion feel as if the skin was being ripped off for a while each time I had to walk.

The licorice root extract does not do that. It made the areas with only tiny blisters or no blisters feel better, with no or little pain when touched. It seemed to make the tiniest of blisters there go away, but it did not get rid of small blisters or the large blisters.

I am now past the 3rd day of using the licorice root extract. I am going to go back to using the calamine lotion, at least on the large blisters.

Arrgghhhh!!!!!

I hope you're applying the licorice 3 or 4 times a day...?

how much Apple Cider Vinegar should I add to the bottle?

Mr Ree from Usa Thank for your suggestion that I try licorice extract for shingles. I am over four months into this , left with the horrible scarring and the nerve pain that just goes on and on. Do you think the licorice extract will still work this late in? If you think so , I will definitely give it a try. thank you , Kilee

For Shingles, I found that using tabasco rather than ground cayenne worked best for me. It is emulsified cayenne with vinegar and doesn't leave ground pepper all over where you dabbed it. I used it with the DMSO and my blisters were gone in two days, now I am just dealing with the little scabs drying up and shedding off, only 1 or two new single spots that are gone the next day, with no pain. Thank goodness mine were hidden in my hair, nasty stuff!!

At 21, I was diagnosed with shingles yesterday for the 1st time ever and am devastated. I want it gone ASAP. I read almost all of these remedies. I just drank a shot of orange juice mixed with 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Followed by a mixture of green tea, with 2 tablespoons coconut oil and 2 tablespoons ACV. I threw up in the trash can before I even finished the cup. It was so disgusting and all that mixed did not settle well at all. I would not recommend drinking any of that and I doubt it helps much, if any. I think I'm just going to stick with applying it to the blistered area from now on!

I think that it is better to take avc in small doses. The other things are not as hard on the stomach.

Has anyone ever tried Manuka Honey on shingles?

I mixed organic coconut oil with vitamin E oil and palmer's olive butter formula since it was all the stuff I had at hand and I was desperate since I was itching really bad, I made the mixture and instantly I felt relief I am on acyclovir 800Mg tables

How long should I leave the cayenne paste on my rash? Please get back to me as soon as u can cuz im in a whole lot of pain.

I thought my case of shingles was poison oak and put cortisone cream on for two days as that had cleared up a case of poison oak (that I had for 2-3 months) in 3-4 days. But the cortisone was not working so I went to see my doctor and he said I had shingles. I had experienced more blistering from putting diluted clorox on my poison oaked areas and I smelled like clorox too all day long. This was a popular remedy I saw on the internet. So I was glad when I got the cortisone cream to heal my poison oak. Now I will have to be as persisitenet with this shingles. It's been the year of rashes for me.

The reason I mention the diluted clorox is that the dermatologist my doctor consulted with also on the shingles recommended a diluted clorox bath but I think it could spread the blisters like it did with the poison oak so I am not going to try this.

I don't know if you have been diagnosed so forgive this comment if so, but I was diagnosed as having shingles when young and for 20 years as I continued to experience this just assumed it was a correct diagnosis. Actually I had herpes, HPV2 which manifested as blisters on the buttock. Shingles does not (or rarely) repeat more than once. As I got older I also started to experience sciatic pain with outbreaks. I love natural remedies but to control the constant back pain I developed and stop outbreaks - I use zovirex and havn't found any other remedy. If any one has a similar issue, don't let them talk you into more modern versions.

When you have shingles, you want to AVOID chocolate and nuts!! It literally feeds the virus! Also, you want to take a lot of B vitamins (B-12, B-6, etc.) it will seriously help!