Shingles

Shingles

Shingles is chicken pox returned to haunt you.Like that most common of childhood illnesses, shingles is caused by the herpesvirus. After chicken pox clears up, the virus remains in the body, lying dormant in nerve cells. For reasons that remain a mystery, it can reemerge decades later as shingles.

Symptoms include a painful rash that usually appears on the torso or face. After a few days, chicken pox­like blisters form, then they crust over and eventually heal after two or three weeks. So far it sounds a lot like the childhood disease. In about half of those who develop shingles, however, the pain persists for months and sometimes years. This is called postherpetic neuralgia. Frequently, the pain is quite severe.

Shingles is especially common in people over 60 or those with poor immune function, such as people who are undergoing cancer chemotherapy. If you develop shingles, you should see your doctor immediately for treatment.

Green Pharmacy for Shingles

Nature has given us several herbs that can help treat viral illnesses. If I developed shingles, I would try any of these approaches.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Herbalists recommend many herbs that are members of the mint family, especially lemon balm, or melissa, to treat herpes. There's good reason for this. Lemon balm has been proven to have some effect on viruses of the herpes family. Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, suggests using lemon balm to treat viral infections.

Herpes cold sores are caused by a virus that behaves much like the virus that causes shingles; in fact, both viruses belong to the same genus. In one well-designed study of 116 people with herpes sores, a lemon balm cream healed the sores substantially better than an inactive cream (a placebo).

One European anti-herpes product contains 700 milligrams of lemon balm leaf extract per gram of cream-based ointment. It has been shown to shorten the healing time of herpes sores by several days. You can achieve a similar effect, according to Dr. Tyler, from a tea made with two teaspoons of dried leaf per cup of boiling water. Apply the tea directly to the rash with a cotton pad several times daily.

For shingles, I'd suggest trying a mixed mint tea made with lots of lemon balm plus any other mints that you have on hand: hyssop, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage, self-heal, spearmint or thyme. Put a little licorice in the tea as well. Such a beverage would contain quite a few antiviral, anti-herpetic compounds. I suggest drinking the tea as well as applying it directly to the rash.

Lemon Balm This herb, a member of the mint family, helps combat herpes viruses.

Red pepper (Capsicum, various species). The fiery ingredient in red pepper, capsaicin, is the hottest thing going for postherpetic neuralgia. Capsaicin brings relief by blocking pain signals from nerves just under the skin. Studies of an ointment containing capsaicin showed such good results that a few years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved commercial creams such as Zostrix and Capzasin-P, which contain this substance.

You can buy the commercial products if you want. But if you'd like to save money, simply mix powdered red pepper into any white skin lotion until it turns pinkish, then dab it on. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward so that you don't get pepper in your eyes or on other sensitive areas. And test it on a small area of skin first; if it causes irritation, discontinue use.

Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis). The root of this plant, powdered and mixed with water, was used as a folk treatment for shingles in China. It has known antiviral activity, so I think this is worth a try.

Chinese angelica (Angelica sinensis). Also known as dang-quai, this herb is revered in Asia as the best herb for menstrual problems and other women's health concerns. In addition, the Chinese have used the powdered root successfully to treat shingles. It can be used in tea or tincture. (Do not take this herb if you are pregnant, however.)

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Leading naturopath Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., president of Bastyr University in Seattle and co-author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, reports seeing people with shingles whose pain and inflammation cleared up within three days following application of a licorice ointment on painful areas. Licorice contains several antiviral and immune-boosting compounds and seems to be a rational choice. If I had shingles, I'd drink a weak tea and apply a strong tea directly to the rash.

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). Passionflower is a mild tranquilizer, which is not a bad idea if you are being driven to distraction by the pain of shingles. But it also has reputed activity against postherpetic neuralgia. I suggest adding some to a lemon balm­licorice tea.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamotia) and other essential oils. If you enjoy aromatherapy, you might apply a few drops of essential oils that have been recommended for treating shingles. They include bergamot, camomile, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon and teatree oil. Since some full-strength essential oils can be irritating to the skin, dilute them by adding several drops to a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil and apply them directly to painful areas. (Never ingest essential oils, as even a small amount can be toxic.)

Pear (Pyrus, various species). Pear juice is rich in antiviral caffeic acid. I'd drink it and eat lots of pears if I had shingles.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea). This herb has a folk reputation in China for treating herpes. It's a delicious vegetable that's great when steamed like spinach. It's worth a try.

Soybean (Glycine max) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale). Research by Jean Carper, author of Food: Your Best Medicine, suggests that taking two 500-milligram tablets of the amino acid lysine three or four times a day might help relieve shingles symptoms.

If that's true, I'd suggest simply eating more watercress and soybeans. In my database, these are the foods highest in lysine--2.7 percent on a dry-weight basis. Other foods containing lysine, in descending order of potency, include black bean sprouts, carob, lentil sprouts, lentils, spinach, velvet beans, peas, pumpkin seeds, asparagus, butter beans, Chinese cabbage, fava beans, fenugreek and papaya.

You might even want to cook up some of my Lysine Soup. Use several of the high-lysine beans and asparagus and flavor it with fenugreek, papaya and lots of watercress.