Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements for Sore Throat

The amino acid, lysine, has been reported to reduce the recurrence rate of herpes simplex infections in both preliminary and double-blind trials. The amount used in these studies was usually 1 to 3 grams per day, although some people received as little as 312 mg per day. In one double-blind trial, lysine supplementation (1,200 mg per day) failed to prevent recurrences better than placebo. However, the results of that study may have been skewed by a large number of dropouts in the placebo group who fared poorly but were not included in the analysis.

When lysine has been used for acute outbreaks, the results have been mixed. In a preliminary study, 390 mg of lysine taken at the first sign of a herpes outbreak resulted in rapid resolution of the cold sores in all cases. However, in a double-blind study, supplementing with 1 gram of lysine per day for five days did not increase the healing rate of the cold sores.

Vitamin C has been shown to inactivate herpes viruses in the test tube. In one study, people with herpes infections received either a placebo or 200 mg of vitamin C plus 200 mg of flavonoids, each taken three to five times per day. Compared with the placebo, vitamin C and flavonoids reduced the duration of symptoms by 57%...