Tea Tree Oil For Herpes Treatment - Does It Work?

Does using tea tree oil for herpes help with outbreaks?

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has been suggested for treating herpes including genital herpes. It shows promise in lab studies against the herpes simplex 1 and 2 virus.

Our detailed article Benefits of Tea Tree Oil reveals all the health benefits so we won't discuss it here.

Let's look at using this popular antiseptic liquid to fight off herpes infections...

 

Studies on tea tree oil for herpes treatment

Animal and lab studies show that tea tree oil solution is able to kill off the herpes virus.

One lab study done at the University of Heideberg in Germany showed that tea tree oil was effective at stopping the spread of the herpes simplex 1 and 2 virus. Another animal study showed that it is about 99% effective in stopping the spread of the herpes virus.

These results confirmed another independent study published in Pharmazie (2001). A combination of tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil was effective in preventing the herpes virus from multiplying in a cell culture.

 

But what about clinical trials in human volunteers?

Does it work in humans suffering from herpes infection? Fortunately, there is one study and the researchers believed that it does.

The lead researcher C. Carsona showed that a 6% tea tree oil gel showed benefits in reducing the duration of recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores).

However, the benefits were modest and the authors acknowledged that tea tree oil treatment was started far too late during the course of the infection.

They said that it probably would be much more effective if the therapy started at the first sign of a cold sore. (This also applies to prescription anti-viral medications as well.)

Their conclusions? Tea tree oil is cost-effective, beneficial, had no risk of developing resistance against the herpes virus and acceptable to patients.

 

Recommendations - How to use tea tree oil for herpes outbreak

Here are the recommended steps for treating herpes outbreaks.

Make a 6% solution by mixing 3 mL of tea tree oil and adding sufficient distilled water to make up to 50 mL.

See Tea Tree Oil Dilutions for complete details on how to make this.

Start by washing your hands and drying them with a towel.

Always apply the solution or gel with a cotton swab (Q-Tip). It is not recommended to apply the solution with the included applicator, if there is one.

Why? Because you don't want to contaminate the product with the herpes virus. Avoid dipping the Q-Tip again into the solution. If you need to use more, get a fresh Q-tip.

This gel or solution can be applied two to four times daily until the lesions clear.

As always, test the tea tree oil mixture first on one spot first before applying to the entire area. If discomfort or skin irritation is noticed, avoid using it or considering using a more dilute solution.

Bottom line

Thinking of using tea tree oil for herpes?

There's only one small clinical trial to show that it works on herpes. The risk of using tea tree oil is low and there are animal studies to prove that it does prevent the herpes virus from spreading.

It is worth giving it a try.

There's little downside risk (skin irritation) and the upside benefit is high (quicker recovery).

Needless to mention, the best way to prevent herpes outbreak is to keep your immune system strong. Avoid stress and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

You may consider natural remedies like Immunity Plus to effectively boost your immune system to help prevent outbreaks and to get existing outbreaks to go back to remission quickly.

Related to Tea Tree Oil for Herpes

Tea Tree Oil Dosage and Dilution Guidelines

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