Evidence brief · Supplement
L-Lysine for Recurrent cold sores
Evidence grade C — Prevention
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 1
- graded outcome
- 0
- references listed
Assembled by the app from other entries in this library. It adds no evidence of its own — follow the links to the entries it draws on.
1 at grade C — 1 graded row
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Recurrent cold soresEvidence grade C
Prevention
Unclearmixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Recurrent cold sores (grade C).
The evidence in words
The verdict
For recurrent cold sores, L-Lysine earns evidence grade C (unclear effect, mixed consistency) — the evidence is limited or mixed. Prevention
How it might work
Lysine competes with arginine, which the herpes virus needs to replicate — the basis for the lysine/arginine-balance approach.
How to use it
1–3 g/day for prevention; higher at outbreak onset.
Safety & cautions
Generally safe; GI upset at high doses; caution in kidney disease.
Bottom line
A cheap, low-risk option that helps some people get fewer cold sores. Worth a trial if you're prone to them.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 1–3 g/day prevention.
Goes with
- L-LysineRead the full L-Lysine monographEvidence grade C
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- L-Lysine for Cold-sore (HSV) recurrenceEvidence grade C — Higher dosesEvidence grade C
- Andrographis for Common coldEvidence grade B — Severity and durationEvidence grade B
- Andrographis for Upper-respiratory infection severity/durationEvidence grade B — Meta-analyticEvidence grade B
- Astragalus for Chemotherapy side effects (adjunct)Evidence grade C — AdjunctiveEvidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own — it is assembled from the entries it links to, whose sources are on their pages.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.