Genital herpes herbal treatments are becoming more popular as people search for alternatives to prescription antiviral medications. An increasing amount of research is being done to help solidify the idea that natural cures for herpes are effective ways to battle the virus and to treat its outbreaks.

So far, much of the research has produced positive findings for a variety of herbal remedies for genital herpes including the positive effects that olive leaf, andrographis and echinacea have on the immune system, and that vitamin C, zinc, and lysine have on the body’s natural healing processes.

When combined together, olive leaf, andrographis, and echinacea have been shown to provide the body with the necessary means to strengthen the immune system, which ultimately hinders the ability of the herpes virus to develop into full blown outbreaks.

Olive leaf extract has been proven to be one of the most effective genital herpes herbal treatments because it is an agent that actively demonstrates the containment of viral infections by making the viruses inactive and disabling their ability to reproduce. Some studies have claimed that olive leaf has the ability to block out entire virus-specific systems. It also promotes the stimulation of phagocytosis, which is an immune system response to unfamiliar matter in the body.

Andrographis has long been a popular herb in ancient Chinese medicine, and is recently emerging as one of the better herbal remedies for genital herpes. It is filled with flavonoids, which increase the effectiveness of the body’s immune system because of their anti-microbial activities.

Echinacea has been proven to be one of the most effective genital herpes herbal treatments because it stimulates the production of white blood cells in the body, which in turn strengthens the body’s immune system. It also increases the amounts of the chemical properdin in the human body when ingested. Properdin is the specific element of the immune system that directly attacks viruses in the body.

When combined, these three natural herbal remedies for genital herpes significantly boost the bodies immune system, which dramatically decreases the frequency and severity of outbreaks in people with genital herpes.

Vitamin C, zinc, and lysine have been known to speed up the body’s healing process which ultimately reduces the duration of pain and discomfort that the blisters that develop during outbreaks cause.

Vitamin C strengthens the bodies immune system, while zinc tends to increase T lymphocyte cell counts, which aid the body in fighting viral infections. When used in conjunction with the powerful amino acid lysine, these three herbal remedies for genital herpes not only provide additional immune system boosters, but they also increase the speed of reproduction of the body’s cells which ultimately puts an end to the herpes infection much more quickly than if they were not taken.

All of these forms of genital herpes herbal treatments have been studied extensively, and the positive results are overwhelming. As a means of avoiding the discomfort caused by the many unavoidable side effects of prescription drugs, more and more people are beginning to turn to natural and herbal remedies as their primary treatments for genital herpes.

Sheldon Miller is a health researcher who has been studying natural remedies for herpes and other STDs for many years. He is a regular contributor to Herpes Treatment Guide. Learn about effective herbal remedies for herpes as well as various treatment options on the site.