Grannyguru (Az, Usa) on 11/03/2013:

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!!!!!