Improve Your Immune System

Part of the reason your herpes symptoms show up and hang around for a while could be from a weakened immune system. Not eating healthy, eating too much sugar, drinking too much alcohol, not sleeping or exercising enough and being stressed, all cause your immune system to break down. Besides trying to do all the right things to improve it, you can also build up your immune system by taking vitamins, minerals and other supplements known for improving your immune function.

Here is a list of the immune system supplements I take and you should consider taking on a daily basis, at least until your symptoms have been better for a while, then just reduce the amounts. This is in addition to your multi vitamin of course.

Immune System Supplements

• Vitamin C – Of course most people already know about the benefits and take vitamin C on a daily basis. It strengthens your immune system and helps prevent disease. I took 500 mg 2-4 times per day when my herpes outbreaks were bad, now just 1-2 per day.
  Dr. Linus Pauling Vitamin C 1000 mg, 90 Caplets, Irwin Naturals
  Chewable Vitamin C – Adult Gummy Vitamin, 70 Chews, Nutrition Now

• Vitamin E – A strong antioxidant which helps protect your skin. I took 800IU per day originally, now just 400IU.
  Natural Vitamin E-400IU, Mixed Tocopherols, 90 SoftGels, Healthy Origins
  Natural Vitamin E-400IU, Mixed Tocopherols, 180 SoftGels, Healthy Origins

• Vitamin B12 – Helps with energy production, so you won’t need the caffeine as much. Also B12 helps to kill your herpes infected cells. I use sublingual (under the tongue) B12 since your body absorbs it better and faster. You can either get liquid or tablets that dissolve. I took 2000 mcg 1-2 daily before, now once per day when I’m tired.
  Vitamin B-12 (Vitamin B12) Sublingual 2000mcg 100 tabs from Source Naturals
  B-12 Blast, Liquid Vitamin B12 & Folic Acid, Raspberry, 2 oz, Bricker Labs

• Zinc – Helps stop the herpes virus from reproducing. I took 30mg twice a day when my herpes outbreaks were not good, now just once per day .
  Zinc Glycinate 30 mg, 120 Softgels, NOW Foods
  Zinc Sulfate 50 mg, 90 Tablets, Windmill Health Products

• L-Lysine – Taking Lysine will help offset the Arginine in your body and, as previously stated, suppresses the herpes virus. I took 2 – 500 mg capsules, 2-3 times per day before, but now just once per day, either on an empty stomach or when eating carbohydrates, but no protein. Protein contains Lysine so supplements will compete with the naturally occurring, which is better.
  L-Lysine 500 mg, 180 Vegetarian Capsules, Natural Factors
  L-Lysine 500mg 200 caps from Source Naturals

Liquid Stabilized Oxygen

You may never have heard of this supplement before, but it can really help your herpes. It’s a proven scientific fact that disease cannot live in an oxygen rich environment. Hence if you raise your body’s oxygen levels high enough you will kill bacteria and viruses. I just put a few drops in water or juice a few times per day to start and increased/decreased slowly as needed.
Stabilized Oxygen with Colloidal Silver and Aloe Vera, Mountain Berry, 16 oz, Oxylife Products They also have plain and orange-pineapple flavor

Oxy-Caps Oxygen Supplement, 90 Capsules, Earth’s Bounty

Even if you take a multi vitamin or two daily, you will still need to supplement with the appropriate amount of the above vitamins and minerals. Don’t worry, you can find them all in one place and at great prices. Most of the ones I listed here only cost an average of $8-12 a bottle, a few around $15 – $25, so it won’t cost too much for a month or two supply. Remember once your immune system is stronger and your herpes symptoms have gone away or mostly, you can lower the dosage on all of it, even rotate between them on a daily basis. That’s what I do.

Multi1, Daily Performance Multi-Vitamin & Mineral, 120 Capsules, Nutrition 53
Adult Complete Multi-Vitamin, 240 Gummies, SmartyPants Vitamins
Multi-Food 1, Complete Multi Vitamin, 90 Tablets, NOW Foods

Here are a few additional supplements you may want to take if you need extra help with your herpes or just your immune system in general and can afford it. They are inexpensive.

• Astragalus – This herb will increase your macrophage activity. Macrophages eat viruses and bacteria. They also stimulate your immune cells like lymphocytes, to kick into gear and prevent a takeover of bad viruses and bacteria. 2 – 500 mg capsules should be plenty at first, then 1 per day will be enough to ward off those invaders.
  Astragalus Root Capsule, 100 Vegicaps, Christopher’s Original Formulas
  Astragalus Root Alcohol Free Extract Liquid 1 oz from Nature’s Answer

• Licorice is a proven anti-viral with a lot of studies to back it up. Make sure you buy one with Glycyrrhizin in it (not DGL – deglycyrrated) as this is what creates the anti-viral activity.
  Licorice Root 450 mg, 100 Capsules, NOW Foods
  Licorice Root Liquid, 1 oz, Gaia Herbs
  Licorice Tea, Organic Licorice Root, 24 Tea Bags, Alvita Tea The tea prob isn’t as potent as the caps or extract, but it will taste good and one less pill to take.

• Acidophilus -You probably have heard of this now that it’s popular. I have been taking it off and on for the past 25 years to help with yeast infections as well as digestion and to keep good bacteria in my intestines when I have taken antibiotics, which kills all bacteria, not just bad ones. Anyway, it helps if you take 1-2 capsules per day.
  Probiotic Acidophilus Plus FOS, Milk Free, 50 Vegetable Capsules, Bluebonnet Nutrition
  Acidophilus Probiotic Liquid – Strawberry Apple, 16 oz, Nature’s Life
  Acidophilus Chewable Assorted Fruit Flavor, 100 Wafers, American Health

To you health!