Lemon Balm is an effective natural herbal treatment for shingles.
When shingles, the remaining chicken pox virus that stays dormant in the nerves along the spine, comes back out to haunt, the pain, rash and blisters are usually more than most people can bear on their own. While you should strictly follow your doctor's treatment advice, there are some natural herb treatments for shingles that you can do on your own.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm, an herb belonging to the mint family, is a proven shingles enemy. You can purchase lemon balm leaves online or at your local health food store. Place two teaspoons of dried lemon balm leaf into one cup of boiling water. Allow the tea to slightly cool and use a cotton pad to apply it directly to your shingles rash several times per day.
You can also make a mixed mint tea with lemon balm leaves, peppermint, sage, thyme, spearmint, hyssop or oregano and a small amount of licorice. Although there isn't an exact recipe for this tea, you can use equal parts of whatever mint member you have and add the herbs to about two cups of boiling water. After the tea slightly cools, you can either drink the tea or directly apply it to your shingles rash.
Red Pepper
Red pepper, a member of the capsaicin herb family, can alleviate shingles pain by intercepting the pain signals from the nerves directly under your skin. Capsaicin ingredients are natural irritants so proceed with caution. Powder any red pepper you have on hand with a mortal and pestle or with the back of a spoon. Mix the red pepper powder into white skin lotion until the mixture turns pink. Dab the mixture onto a small area of your skin. If you do not feel any discomfort, then apply the mixture directly to your shingles rash, then thoroughly wash your hands. Note that with all these remedies, it's wise to test a small amount of mixture on some unaffected skin to make sure your body does not have a bad reaction. Be careful not to get the mixture into your eyes, mouth or nose.
Aloe and Herb Gel
This topical shingles gel recipe calls for the combination of several different herbs along with aloe vera gel. Check with your local herb supplier to obtain either bergamot oil, lavender, tea tree oil or lemon oil, dried licorice root, St.-John's-wort flowering tops, a good-quality aloe vera gel, lemon balm leaves and turmeric.
Combine two tablespoons of dried licorice root, four tablespoons of lemon balm leaves, four tablespoons of St.-John's-wort flowering tops, two tablespoons of turmeric and two cups of aloe vera gel.
Blend the mixture and pour into an airtight container. Set aside for at least 24 hours at room temperature. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth into a clean jar. Add the essential oil that you have chosen, stir, cap tightly and put the gel into the refrigerator. Allow the gel to cool for a few hours and then apply it to a small area of uninfected skin. If you do not experience a reaction to the gel, then apply it directly to your shingles rash three to five times per day. Thoroughly wash your hands after each application.
Tags: balm leaves, lemon balm leaves, shingles rash, your shingles, rash, aloe vera