Lysine quenches cold sores much like water extinguishes a fire.
Water puts out a fire by starving it
of the required oxygen it needs to burn.
Fire cannot exist without oxygen.
Lysine works in a similar way. It suppresses
cold sores by starving the herpes
virus of the main ingredient needed to create new virus.
Here is how it works.
When the herpes simplex virus becomes active, it infects nerve cells on the
surface and forces them to make copies of the virus.
Once full, the cells are destroyed to release the new virus. This produces the visible cold sore
open ulcer.
The main protein used by the cells to
create this sub-microscopic virus is the amino acid arginine.
A cold sore will not happen without arginine.
(Here are some
Foods To Avoid With Cold Sores.)
Your body cells store arginine in a special area within the cell. If forced to
create new cold sore virus, your cells will draw on these stores until depleted.
Lysine smothers the cold sore by making arginine unavailable.
Lysine is also stored within the cells, in the same storage area as arginine.
The more lysine in your diet, the more lysine is stored in the cells - leaving less room
for arginine.
And the good news is - lysine does not support the creation of the herpes virus.
And it keeps the arginine from being available for virus replication by crowding it out.
Lysine must be taken orally for best results.
The best way to flood your cells with cold sore preventing lysine is by eating
high lysine foods. Dairy products, meats, and fish are excellent sources of
lysine. Here is more about
Foods That Prevent Cold Sores
Taking lysine supplements is usually more convenient for most people. The body
does not absorb this form of lysine
as well as food source lysine, so larger doses are necessary.
A combination of food and supplements is truly the best choice.
Topical cold sore remedies that contain lysine are not of much value because
lysine does not absorb well this way.
YES. Lysine works great for quenching the cold sore fire. And Lysine is
great for preventing cold sores. But it must be taken orally to get into the
cells.
Lysine usually comes in 500 mg. capsules. In all supplements, always
choose capsules if you can, for ease of absorption.
4000 mg. each day is the usual dosage during
a cold sore event.
500 mg. to 1000 mg. each day is the commonly used
quantity for preventing a cold sore.
Eating a diet high in lysine and supplementing with a booster dose of lysine is
your best way to get therapeutic levels into your cells of cold sore lysine.