Herpes Labialis

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Thuja (Eastern White Cedar, Thuja Occidentalis) [1, 23, 24, 25]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Little is known about the full effects of Thuja, so it is not recommended for medicinal use. Thuja can be poisonous if ingested in large amounts.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Thuja helps to treat herpes)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Pokeweed Antiviral Protein (PAP) [1, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Warning! All parts of the plant, Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana), is poisonous and should not be ingested. Thoroughly cooking the plant reduces that toxicity. The effects of the improperly prepared plant include vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, headache, confusion, convulstions, low blood pressure, heart block and death. Only plant extracts (PAP) or thoroughly prepared plants should be ingested, and even then, under professional medical guidance.

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Laboratory studies show that PAP may hold promise in the treatment of herpes, but more clinical trials are needed)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica, Hydrocotyle Asiatica)[1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Gotu Kola helps in the treatment of herpes in any way. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: Weakly against (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Goldenseal helps to treat herpes. More studies are needed. Goldenseal may produce toxic effects, including depression, constipation, rapid heartbeat, stomach pain, mouth ulcers and vomiting.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Celandine (Ukrain, Chelidonium Majus) [3, 4]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: weakly against (There is insufficient evidence that Celandine helps to cure or treat herpes. In addition, the plant is mildly poisonous to humans. It may cause hepatitis as well as symptoms of pain, nausea, thirst, and fever.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Cats Claw (Uncaria Tomentosa) [1, 2]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recomendation (insufficient evidence to support claims that Cats Claw can help to treat herpes)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Low-Level Laser Therapy:

Recommendation: no recomendation (there is insufficient evidence to support claims that laser therapy helps in treating herpes)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatment:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies, American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.nutrasanus.com/cats-claw.html

3.http://abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Chel

4. http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/herbssupplements/greatercelandine.asp

5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/goldenseal

6. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/goldenseal/

7. Tierra Michael (1998): The Way of Herbs. New York, Pocket Books

8. Grieve M. (1971): A Modern Herbal. New York, Dover Publications, Inc

9. Mills S. and Bone K. (2000): Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Philadelphia, Churchill Livingstone

10. Tice Raymond (1997): Goldenseal and Two of its constituent alkaloids: berberine and hydrastine Research Triangle Park, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in Seiger E: Review of Toxilogical Literature

11. http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/ellingwood/hydrastis.html

12. Winston, D., Maimes, S., Adaptogens: Herbs For Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, 2007, pp. 226-7

13. "A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study on the Effects of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) on Acoustic Startle Response in Healthy Subjects". Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 20(6):680-684, December 2000. Bradwejn, Jacques MD, FRCPC *; Zhou, Yueping MD, PhD ++; Koszycki, Diana PhD *; Shlik, Jakov MD, PhD

14.  B. M. Hausen (1993) "Centella asiatica (Indian pennywort), an effective therapeutic but a weak sensitizer." Contact Dermatitis 29 (4), 175–179 doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1993.tb03532.x

15. Cataldo, A., Gasbarro, V., et al., "Effectiveness of the Combination of Alpha Tocopherol, Rutin, Melilotus, and Centella asiatica in The Treatment of Patients With Chronic Venous Insufficiency", Minerva Cardioangiology, 2001, Apr; 49(2):159-63

16. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotu_kola#Medicinal_effects

17. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/gotu-kola

18. http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=12&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px

19. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca+americana

20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/315368

21. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002874.htm

22. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed

23. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002769.htm

24. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_thoc2.pdf

25. http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&query=thuja&x=0&y=0

26. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000606.htm

27. http://www.cfp.ca/cgi/content/full/54/12/1683

28. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T5G-4F14J8F-C&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=e4fe069b571ea96621d4f84c855381da&searchtype=a

29. http://www.cfp.ca/cgi/content/full/54/12/1683

30. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000315/1697.html

31. http://dentalresource.org/topic52herpes.htm

32. http://www.herpesdiagnosis.com/labialis.html

33. http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000606.htm

34. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/964866-overview

35. http://healthguide.howstuffworks.com/herpes-labialis-oral-herpes-simplex-dictionary.htm

36. http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/conditions/skd/1704/1704.jsp

37. http://www.healthscout.com/ency/1/000606sym.html