Effective Home Treatments & Natural Remedies for Shingles

I've received so many great natural remedies from this site that I want to contribute one of my own.

I suffered from a bout of shingles, got the pain to calm down with drinking apple cider vinegar, spraying it on the lesions, and eating raw unrefined coconut oil. The episode lasted maybe a couple weeks.

My mom passed recently, and with the stress of that, it came back and I did not realize it until after the funeral - they were all on the left side of my body, on the front. Talk about painful!

Well, I didn't have anything in the house and I'd bought some salve that had helped previously but it was all gone. I noticed a jar of african shea butter my cousin had left and thought what the heck - it might work.

I put some on, and went out for the day. Almost immediately I noticed that the stabbing pain and itch disappeared and the raised bumps had gone away too!

Needless to say, I scraped that jar then went in search of more on Amazon. com - I ended up buying a pound of it.

Another benefit is that it fades the scarring and marks that shingles leaves.

Even though the skin got 100% better, I had tremendous post-herpetic neuralgia. My skin was so sensitive, it hurt to put anything on it.

For that, what has worked like a charm is Turmeric capsules - 500 mg x 2, 4 times a day, along with homeopathic remedy Hypericum Perforatum (30x 4 times a day). I'm still taking it, but it started working on the post shingles pain after the first few doses.

Because I read about this stuff online, and I was eager to try anything that might work, I just went to my local health food store to get the Hypericum, and went to Walmart and bought the Turmeric.

Hope this is helpful for anyone who is suffering from this terrible, painful condition!

Hi Schuyler, I have sent two friends who had shingles to my friend who is a Chinese herbalist. He doesn't do acupuncture but specializes in Chinese herbalism.

One of my friend's husband was hit with a terrible case of shingles along the same area where yours is. His work sent him home saying he could not return until it was resolved. Of course, he was in pain and upset about not being able to work. He's also a scientist and when his wife told him about my recommendation for this he said he would not go there and have his tongue "read". She said fine, went by herself and told him her husband had shingles and where it was located. He sent her home with herbs and instructions and within 2 days the shingles were gone and he could return to work.

Again, I don't think I can emphasize how powerful Chinese medicine is. I hope this helps. Lisa

P.S. Forgot to mention, my herbalist friend treated his own dad successfully for shingles as well!

Natural cures help but are slow, and overall one needs to look at stress, diet, etc.

The best cure for shingles blisters is "Staphaseptic, " which is a natural ointment available in a tube from your pharmacy over-the-counter shelves. Most stock it and others will order it. (The box is white with rust-orange, yellow-gold with black accents, and is good to have on hand for other things, from simple infections, to boils, staph and even MRSA). You will see a dramatic change or even resolution within 24 hours. Apply 2-3 times per day.

The cure for the disease itself and the nerve pain is homeopathy, and though ideal to see a doctor trained in it, Arsenicum 200c works for many people. Pain level can decrease quite quickly. Continue for 2-3 days after symptoms are gone. Dosage is up to your practitioner, but often 3-5 pellets, 3-5 times a day, works.

These two things will bring dramatic change within 24 hours.

Homeopathic Rhus tox C30 stops the pain of shingles. I used it years ago, and now a friend of mine got shingles and he healed within a day.

After months of reoccurring shingles, I discovered that reoccurring shingles is a sign of a serious underlying health problem. In my case it was a digestive problem and when I was able to get that under control the shingles quit coming back. I have since read that many other common ailments, such as arthritis, have been traced back by naturepaths to digestive problems. My advice: take especially good care of your digestive system.

My husband came down with shingles after chemo and back surgery. The doctor gave him the regular meds with extra nerve pills but it did not stop the pain. I called the nurse and ask what to use. I was told to use capsaicin which I went to get as quick as I could on a friday afternoon. I put the cream on him and thought he was going to burn up. I think it may work because the pain on the outside of the skin hurts so bad you forget about the pain on the inside for a little bit. I thought I would go crazy trying to find something to help make his pain go away so I got on line and found your site. I have started him on 2 tablespoons of the Apple Cider Vinegar in water and rubbing his neck and scalp. I pray it works and I thank you for being there for me to find. jan in texas

CAPSICAIN (from hot peppers) for the best topical relief from shingles. You can get it in creme/lotion in a tube at most pharmacies. No burning whatsoever. REALLY HELPS.

This is my second shingles attack, folks! First one lasted 60 days and was the most unbelievably painful thing I had ever experienced. Interestingly enough, 100% of the shingles was sub-surface, with no redness, raised areas or pustules. The deep pain was beyond words.

Now, four years later, in a period of incredible stress, I've got the damned thing again -- this time, with a left leg and the front/back of the left side of my torso covered in mega-patches of fiery pustules. Pain inside (emanating from the locus deep inside the nerve) and out.

Then, a friend of a friend mentioned ACV and I went surfing and found your site.

Last night (day 3), I covered the sores with ACV&Cayenne, and took two half shot glasses of ACV mixed with Cayenne. Within about an hour the pain - inside and out - completely went away. Yes, completely, and I had what seemed like one of the best sleeps I had had in a long time.

This AM thru noon, I felt great, but this early afternoon I'm still a little shakey -- a slight twinge here, a slight twinge there. And the pustules are still there, but not increasing in size (and, as I write this, only a very, very, very occasional itch/pain from my little read friends.

I am going to keep this up, and have absolutely no doubt that this will do the trick. In fact, I'm going to apply your ACV/CP elixer as soon as I press 'send'.

My 2 youngest daughters got shingles at ages 5 and 7 after getting the chickenpox vaccine. The doctors didn't quite know what to think. Thankfully they didn't suffer much. I did not allow them to get the booster vax, and the school nurse was okay with that. Some years later I came across an article:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/02/chicken-pox-vaccine-creates-shingles-epidemic.aspx

Perfectly explained what is happening to our elderly population now. I'm nearing the end of what is my first- and hopefully last- shingles outbreak. Thanks to EC, I have an arsenal of knowledge that will allow me to prevent this should it try to attack me again! And no, I won't be getting the shingles vax or any other for that matter!

I would not. Vaccines are loaded with toxins, mercury being the worst. Instead be prepared to take colloidal silver and iodine for infection.

I developed shingles in October 2007, however, all I had was all the discomforts of the disease and never developed the rash. About 3 days ago (4-2-08) I began experiencing the same symptoms again. It was jsut a fluke that I began taking vitamin C and Lysine tablets. I had some Lysine on hand and determined that if the Lysine was good for preventing or lessening the pain of cold sores - why shouldn't it work to help allieviate the shingles. So I began taking the Lysine and also the Vitamin C. The dosage of the tablets for the Lysine is 1000 mg. and the Vitamin C is also 1000 mg. I have been taking two Vitamin C and 2 Lysine tablets about every four hours and it is definitely helping to relive the pain. I have also had pain meds which my doctor recommended last fall - but they do not seem to do much of anything. I hope that this will help someone else - I am 77 and never had shingles before last October. I have not developed the rash this time either.

UPDATE - I ADDED liquid vitamin B12 by Now & it includes B-Complex also- 2x/day. This has made a significant difference.

I recently had a shingles, which I never knew anything about until now. This web site was a big help in helping me understand the disease and what I could do about it.

I actually used multiple remedies to help cure shingles and the excruciating pain that went along with it. I went to a doctor to find out what it was and he confirmed that it was shingles and prescribed Valtrex an antiviral pill (which will not kill the virus), 1 per day for 10 days. I did take it but it didn't do a thing for the outbreak or the pain.

First thing I did was start taking Vitamin C 1000 mg fizzy packets x 3 every hour, by the fourth or fifth hour, I had diarrhea. Not a problem, cut it back to 1000 mg every 3 hours for the next 2 days. This helps to jump start the immune system and Vitamin C doesn't build up in the body and you can't get enough from fruits and vegetables. I also started taking l-lysine 2 tablets in the morning and 2 before bed (1500 mg each time). This also helps to boost immune system and kill the virus. Unfortunately, I did have to take some ibuprofen for the pain from time to time but that was only one or sometimes twice a day for a few days. I also took twice a day 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with either orange juice or grape juice (not at the same time as the vitamins) until the outbreak was gone.

For the outbreak, I tried putting zinc oxide cream (the worst thing to do) on the outbreak, it did nothing and it was painful to get off because it is made with petroleum. I also tried honey for its' ability to heal, it may have helped but it was messy and I didn't see any results. I did put tea tree oil on for a full day and it seemed to keep it from spreading but I did not see a lot of healing. I then took and put apple cider vinegar directly on the sores and wrapped them in cellophane to keep from drying out and left on for 2 hours. It was painful but it really brought out the sores. I then took baking soda and sea salt mixed with water and applied with a wet wash cloth and let sit on for an hour and then reapplied a few times. This felt great because it had a cooling effect on the sores and took away a lot of the pain. I used to have acne as a teenager and we would go to the beach in the summer and every year, my acne clear up like I had none at all, so I tried it and immediately the sores began to heal. I only needed to use for one to two days for the baking soda and salt water and only once for the apple cider vinegar. Once everything was dried up, I put some calamine lotion on for help with itching and I was surprised when it eliminated the dark marks from where the sores were. For the pain that continued after the sores, I thought it would go away, but unfortunately, it hung around a while and made life tough. I finally tried vitamin E d-alpha, not dl-alpha 1200 IU's twice a day and the pain went away after 2 days. I read that Vitamin C and Vitamin E should be taken together so I took 1000 mg of Vitamin C with the Vitamin E at the same time.

Also, watch your diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. There are some that say the virus uses foods like nuts and chocolate as food to grow and survive, so starve it and you have a better chance that the natural remedies will kill and eat the virus.

Good Luck and I hope this helps someone because many of these same things worked for others and I know that they helped me a lot. Thanks to those that shared.

Half each 90% Alcohol and distilled water. And Fastum Gel a non steroidal anti inflammatory. Fixed my shingles in a week. Blisters all dried and healing. Pain still there in the nerve. Good news!

I heard about Shingles before but this is my first experience and what an experience had been so far!! It affected the left part of my face having my eye pretty compromised. I'm using antibacterial ointement for my eye, and is improving. I'm very careful with cleanness, washing right away towels, pillowcases etc. that had been in contact with my face. My main concern is to avoid the possibility of infecting also my right eye. I have a big property and love to work in the garden. Well, I'll not put my hands in the dirt until am out of the woods. I had been reading about the topical and internal application with apple vinegar and i'm willing to try since I have now those ugly red scars from the rash, maybe will help to heal faster, I'll be glad to let you know. If someone wants to write to me and exchange tips, please, feel free to do so. Following suggestions from the book in Nutritional Healing - James and Phyllis Balch - I'm taking L-Lysine, Vitamins C, B complex B12 - A - regular medication. Diet is important too, maintain a possitive attitude and stay away from depression, it doesn't help at all.

I got shingles a few weeks ago. Initially, I thought the pain was residual from a back spasm I had in the same area, but when it didn't resolve, I took a look and sure enough there was the rash. I got on the antiviral, but had known from this wonderful site that ACV would help with the burning and itching. I dabbed it on with a cotton ball and sprayed it on my back where I couldn't reach it. Instantly the burning subsided! The next stage is the nerve pain which I still had deeply after the rash had cleared. I had also learned from this site that Cayenne pepper mixed with aloe lotion Would help. After days of hoping the pain would resolve on its own I decided to try it. The first application didn't make much difference, but the second and third did. In fact, after the third application, the pain was completely gone! So easy and so worth it . Thank you Earth clinic!

Make sure it is indeed shingles. Shingles is often the first manifestation of an internal malignancy. Not always, but often. How to keep not getting shingles comes to figuring out why she has shingles. Full blood work is a starter. There are specific markers that indicate some serious things are underneath. Ruling out malignancy is the first step. Young people get turbo cancers these days.

Shingles shot for a young person who already has shingles is a recipe for a bigger disaster

So start with blood work Just google what blood markers indicate potential cancer and do the lab work. Keep in mind her doctor must disagree or dismiss, you can do it yourself these days.
Everyone these days must have a stool test for colon cancer, it is cheap March is a colon cancer awareness month, they offer a discount. Do it annually. A family friend, a young mom has recently died, she had stage 4

If your young relative is cleared from malignancies, test her for viruses, citomegalovirus, hpylori, Epstein Barr..

Meantime I'd recommend Cats Claw supplement, L-lysine +high dose vitamin C and Arsenic Album - a homeopathic remedy I learned about here. I get shingles like rash from time to time and I start this protocol and it really works for me. I also add a trace ( not a drop) of antiviral medicinal quality essential oils to a base oil and apply externally. Young living essential oils and Alma ( former Floracopeia) is where I buy directly. Can't guarantee for other companies. Never buy on Amazon.

Do all blood work before starting the supplements

And check the shingles section here on EC site.

My wife was having pain for about a week before the first blisters showed up and we realized it was shingles. Started L-Lysine right away, 500 mg twice per day, sometimes 3 times. Two patches developed, one about 2 inches long and maybe 1 1/2 inches wide, the other a bit smaller. Blisters were scattered over the affected area; not a mass of blisters like some have had. The infection never spread beyond those areas. Took 5 weeks to heal up. I believe that Lysine limited the development of the infection. Lysine did not seem to help with the nerve 'zaps'. A TENS unit, however, did a remarkable job at nearly eliminating nerve 'zaps' . We used a 2 channel unit. The nerve pain ran along a line that started just beside the spine and wrapped around in a downward sloping arc around to the front of the chest almost to rhe sternum. The front terminal end of the line was about 2 inches lower than the other end at the spine. TENS unit Electrodes were placed this way: 1st channel- one electrode at the starting point of the pain next to spine with its pair electrode about halfway around the line, on the side (about where your arm would fall). 2nd channel- one electrode halfway between the first pair, the other one at the terminating end of the pain path near the sternum. Used a steady, not pulsating, mode. After 90 minutes of this, no zaps for the next 12 hours, and very few zaps for quite some time after that. Only had to do this twice, about 3 or 4 days after the visible onset of the infection. After that, nerve pain was very intermittent and less intense than it had been.

Hi, I recently had shingles, with a lot of pain in one leg. I talked to a doctor friend in Mexico and he told me that they use vitamin B12 to heal and help regenerate nerves. Also, I found out that Acetyl-L Carnitine is good for neuropathy pain relief, and possibly regenerating the nerve.

I had my first case of shingles at 15. Had it regularly through my 20's. Last time I had it was at 45 ....until tonight when I realized the pain I had on my back below my right shoulder blade was shingles. In the process of selling our home and it is very stressful................I am almost 75. I woke my husband up at 1 am to put a cayenne pepper patch on my back.

Kayla, avoid aspartame, in energy drinks and some "sugar free" soft drinks, avoid artificial sweeteners and arginine foods. A liver detox would be great to remove build up from the liver, as an overloaded liver can not clear the body of built up toxins, heavy metals and pathogens. Failing that you might research granulated lecithin non GMO soy or sunflower, one tablespoon daily with a meal, graduate to every meal, to absorb and excrete toxins, some milk thistle or dandelion supplement to support liver function, & lysine and wholefood vitamin c to boost the immune system.

Hi Kayla. I just wanted.to ask if you're sure it was Shingles and not something else? Getting Shingles 2x is rare and getting it a 3rd time is almost unheard of! At any rate, your immune system is really struggling. You should try DMSO on the rash as well as take 1tsp of it morning and night. Use a nice soothing castor oil on the rash after the DMSO. These should clear up your rash quickly. Also look into ways to strengthen your poor, struggling immune system cause it ain't working so good right.now. Good luck!

Greetings EC and Everyone,

Re Shingles and that Stinging Burning Feeling in the Face Syndrome

I have come to believe that the stinging in the face was not bought on by anything I previously thought brought it on. The two things that I noticed about the stinging, burning or pins and needle feeling that I had in the face, was that it always happened when it was humid or when I was stressed. I had the shingles on the one leg. However, I am sure it was responsible for that feeling I had on my face. I am healed of it now about three months. I really don't know what did it, I was taking so many things including BHT which I started taking in March, and Astragalus which I started in June. I give God the glory He is the ultimate healer. The foods that I could not eat last year, I am now able to eat once again without a shingles outbreak. And, the burning face feeling went bye, bye with the shingles.

Never Give Up.

HisJewel

Works like a charm on shingles rash. Once it dried up, I broke open coenzyme q10 capsules added it to zinc ointment and applied thickly. In 48 hours the rash is almost gone.

I think the ACV may work to some degree, but is overrated. The best is geranium essential oil on the spots, and L-Lysine with C taken heavily internally.

I have shingles with no rash, although it feels like I have one because of the severe nerve pain. The left side of my neck from front to back is involved. I use the homeopathic remedy Hypericum for the pain, I use both the 30c and the 200c potency. I take a dose of 30c, if I don't get relief I take again in 20 minutes or so and that usually kills the pain for several hours and repeat as necessary or I take a dose of 200c and that seems to hold throughout the day. It has not cured the shingles, I've had it for about 10 days now, but it makes the pain very tolerable. Hypericum is for any nerve pain.

Did he have shingles before? Sometime it is a healing crisis. My dad suffered eczema for 30 years. One year he was taking 4 weeks treatment course in a balneoresort (Sanatorium Annensky Mineralnye Vody): The water is alkaline (Pn = 8.5-9.4), slightly mineralized (0.32 g/l), the composition is sulfate-bicarbonate, sodium with a high content of silicic acid (60-96 mg/l). Keep in mind he was regularly getting treatments in various balneoresorts with different composition of water. So this time he got so sick he had to hospitalised. After he recovered his eczema was gone for good.

Thanks to everyone who posted on here about your shingles treatments. I put together my "super lotion" based on the articles I read. My husband was diagnosed on Friday night w this dreadful illness. His was in his eye (and face and scalp) which was quite frightening, since it could cause blindness.

He has made a remarkable recovery in two days. We did get into an opthalmologist and used eye drops that worked immediately. They were Prenisolene Acetate Ophthamic 4x dayand Neo/Poly/Dexamet before bed. He is also taking Valtrex 500mg 3x daily. Tylenol every 4 hrs for pain. Although this lotion will settle the nerves down. : )

My formula for his skin, which is working awesome is;

• 2 tsp Coconut Oil
• 2 tsp Colloidal Silver
• 2 tsp Aloe Vera Gel
• 1 tsp DMSO
• 5 drops Tea Tree Oil
• 5 drops Eucalyptus Oil
• 5 drops Oregano Oil
• 10 drops Lavendar Oil
• 25 drops Licorice Root
• 1 capful Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix well, put in very small tupperware container and use 2-x a day and before bedtime. Hope it's a blessing to you, it works so well my husbands lesions cleared visibly throughout the day. We also prayed a lot! Feel better!

HJ: I am not aware of this occurring from any personal reports, and doesn't seem logical it would.

My gut tells me it's a gut issue (pun intended). We know oral Vit-C is poorly absorbed, and even with a healthy gut, but if there is infection, parasites, and/or leaky gut, oral Vit-C would be a problem.

Try some buffering remedies for a few days and then try buffered Vit-C. If paras or infection is suspected try Oil of Oregano before meals. Also incorporated Milled Flax Seed into diet to make for some gentle colon cleaning. Lipospheric Vit-C is best and one can achieve therapeutic results in cases of major illnesses, unlike oral standard C. Colloidal Silver is also effective for all types of pathogens.

Always good to read your post and hope this helps, let us know.

Mama to Many

Thank you for your thoughts, and for sharing your experience. I have started to work on my digestive system ("again"). This time I plan to stick to it. As I do appreciate the benefits of extra C when needed.

HisJewel

I got a nasty case of the shingles right below my rib cage on my right side a few weeks before I left for an overseas trip. It was so painful, I really thought I would have to cancel. The valcyclovir did nothing but upset my stomach, so I only took it for a few days. What really killed the shingles was olive leaf extract and vitamin C. I took 4 capsules of 20 percent standardized olive leaf extract and 500 mg of vitamin C 6 times a day for 10 days, when I reduced it to 3 capsules plus 500 mg vitamin C 4 times per day. After a month, I reduced it to 3 capsules plus 500 mg vitamin C 3 times per day and so on. It significantly reduced the pain and blisters and in 2 weeks both were pretty much gone, save for some zapping pain every once in a while. I continue to take a reduced dose just to make sure it doesn't return. Oh, and I had a great trip!