Lysine has been found to be very beneficial for treating cold sores, which are caused by the herpes simplex infection. Lysine is safe, effective, and fast working. In fact, lysine is actually one of the 8 essential amino acids that everyone’s body requires, and it also can be found in everyday food.

The reason lysine works is because the herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores relies on an amino acid called arginine to reproduce. Studies show that arginine essentially feeds the virus, and causes it to multiply faster. Lysine inhibits the virus’ access to arginine, which causes the virus to stop reproducing, which in turn causes cold sores to heal faster. Unlike no-name treatments and medicines, lysine is scientifically proven and backed by hard facts to be effective at treating cold sores.

Lysine is used internally in the body and externally on the skin. However, many claim that supplements are the first choice when considering a cold sore treatment. External application of lysine, such as balms and oils, are generally not as effective, as the absorption rate through skin is low compared to ingesting lysine.

There are a few ways to increase Lysine intake, and as I said above, the most common is taking supplements. When taken in ample dosages, lysine has been shown to slow down the spread of the herpes simplex virus and lower healing time. Lysine tablets and supplements are cheap, easy to use, and available online or in local supplement stores. Lysine supplements typically come in 500mg capsules, and one should take a dosage of 1000-3000 milligrams per day during outbreaks, starting out low and gradually getting higher. However, too much of anything creates problems, so you should try to keep at or below 3000mg per day. After taking lysine, you should notice that the cold sore should heal quicker and lysine proves to be a very effective treatment. Once the cold sore has healed, it is not necessary to continue taking lysine; one’s food intake will normally provide sufficient amounts of lysine. In any case, taking lysine when cold sores appear is a great way to fight cold sores.

Cold sores have many stages that aren’t very well known by the community, however, in this article, I will detail all of the cold sore stages. It is important to know that not everyone will experience all five of these stages, so some cold sores are more annoying or painful than others. Also, the herpes virus that causes cold sores never leaves the body; once you get cold sores, the virus stays in your body. However, this is nothing to be worried about, because the virus is only active sometimes. And, with effective cures such as lysine, cold sores are nothing to stress over.

The four main stages of cold sores include:
1: Inflammation
2: Open Sore
3. Scab
4: Healing

The preliminary of the cold sore stages is the latent stage. During the latent stage, the herpes virus is essentially sleeping within the person’s body. It will cause no harm in this stage, and there are no ways to prevent this stage.

The first of the cold sore stages is inflammation. During this cold sore stage, the virus becomes active, and starts replicating in the body. The virus moves to the skin on the face, which is why most of the time, cold sores appear on the face. Some people report being able to feel the virus transporting under the skin as a soft vibration or sensation. During this stage, you may feel some pain from the forming cold sores, or see some small zit-like bumps on the face. You may experience side effects such as fever, headache, or minor nausea. It is best to apply a cure or remedy at this stage to prevent the cold sores from progressing to a higher stage. You can read my article about lysine for cold sores to learn about an easy, effective cure. The picure below shows cold sores in the inflammation stage.

The second stage of cold sores is called the open sore stage. During this step, the smaller zit-like cold sores break open and conjoin with each other to form one big cold sore. Many report this stage to be the most uncomfortable, and scientists report this stage to be the most contagious, because the sore is now open, allowing the virus access to outside of the body. The pus or liquid oozing out of the cold sores at this stage has the herpes virus in it, so it is important to prevent spreading the virus by washing your hands frequently, avoiding direct contact with others, and keeping notice on your actions. The picture below shows the cold sores after they have come together in the open sore cold sore stage.

The third of the stages of cold sores is the scab stage. You may realize that the cold sore is no longer leaking fluid, and has scabbed over on the place of the cold sore. However, if you pick at the scab or it breaks open, contagious liquids will leak out. It is normal for the cold sore to scab over multiple times before stabilizing. This stage still induces much pain, but it now causes pain while using the face muscles around the cold sore. At this point, the herpes virus starts going back to the sleeping mode and the cold sore begins the healing process. The picture below shows the scabbing cold sore stage.

The final stages of cold sores are the healing stages. At this point, the cold sores begin becoming less painful, and new skin cells form to replace the dead cells. This process will be ongoing for around 2 weeks as everything returns to normal. The area around the cold sores may appear swollen until this process is complete. Many people try to speed up this stage, but the cold sore cures apply primarily to the first stage, when you notice an outbreak.

The time between noticing a cold sore and complete healing usually takes around 3 weeks. However, this value can change, especially when using a remedy or cure for cold sores. In my article lysine for cold sores, lysine proves to be a good cure to reduce the time spent in each stage. Maintaining responsibility for hygiene is also important during a cold sore outbreak, as you don’t want it to spread the virus anywhere else on the face. Overall, remedies such as lysine can reduce the amount of time spent in the stages of cold sores.

Dosages for Lysine during a cold sore outbreak should be around 1000-3000mg per day, as I explained in my main article, Lysine for Cold Sores. With common 500mg capsules, this is 2-6 capsules. With ointments and lotions, you may refer to the label on the back of the product to determine the amount of lysine it contains. I recommend that, like with other remedies, start out small; try taking 1000mg during the first days, then if it doesn’t appear effective enough, increase the dosage. Everyone is different, so if 1000 mg works for one person, it may not work for the next. Once you find your own unique dosage, you should start seeing that the cold sores are disappearing fast!

However, there is one catch, try to stay below the 3000mg limit, as when dosages start approaching 5000mg, side effects start becoming prominent. The side effects are nothing to worry about though, just headaches, and minor drowsyness. Keep in mind that lysine is an essential amino acid; it was meant to be in your body for proper function, therefore lysine will not cause problems.

Lysine can also be combined with other remedies; there are absolutely no harmful effects from combining lysine and another supplement or cure. Often times, combining cures with lysine will help heal the cold sores faster than using just lysine.

Experimenting with dosages and combinations is a great idea, just aim for below 3000mg per day, and lysine will help heal your cold sores fast!

There are many ways to intake lysine, including eating regular foods! Many foods have been tested, and lots of them are high in lysine content. Before I start, I should mention that even when there are no cold sores, one can still improve health by eating a diet with lysine rich foods. Calcium absorption, recovery from injury, and production of essential hormones, enzymes, and antibodies all depend on lysine; lysine can be beneficial for much more than just cold sores. It is never a bad idea to have a high lysine diet.

There are many specific foods to choose and to avoid when looking at lysine content. I will try to simplify the process as much as I can. In this page, I will list foods based on the lysine to arginine ratio, with lysine preventing cold sores and arginine accelerating their formation. For example, margarine has a 300% ratio, which means it contains 3 times as much lysine as it does arginine. Foods with a higher percentage are good, those with a lower percentage are bad. Foods with a 150%-300% lysine/arginine ratio would be great in a high lysine diet.

Some foods high in lysine (eat these!):

• Margarine (300%)
• Yogurt (295% to 297%)
• Cheese (200 to 280% depending on type)
•  Papaya (253%)
• Goat’s milk (243%)
• Beets (240%)
• Milk (220% for all types)
• Apple sauce (200%)
• Pears (207%)
• Apples (213%)
• Figs (173%)
• Avacados (159%)
• Fish (153% to 155% depending on type)
• Red tomatoes (152%)
• Turnip root (152%)
• Bacon (145%)

Some foods low in lysine (avoid these!):

• Tree nuts (19% to 30%)
• Grapes (31%)
• Onions (34%)
• Coconut (27%)
• Yams (47%)
• Oats/Bran/Rice (53%)
• Corn (60%)
• Mushrooms (67%)
• Oranges (73%)
• Peas (74%)
• Wheat (74%)
• Cabbage (83%)
• Eggplant (84%)
• Radish (89%)
• Bell peppers (91%)
• Strawberries (97%)
• Broccoli (97%)
• Egg Yolk (98%)