Genital Herpes Treatment

Gumbo-Limbo or copperwood, Bursera Sirambula

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex virus Type I (HSV-1) and Type II (HSV-2). The Type I virus is the same one that causes cold sores on the mouth, face and lips, although it can also cause sores on the genitals.

The Type II virus, however, most often causes sores on the genitals.

Herpes can spread to the genitals from a cold sore if hand washing and other hygiene precautions are not taken. Or it can be spread though oral or genital sexual contact. And be warned: The virus does not have to be in an active state -- that is, blisters do not have to be present -- for a partner to become infected [source: NLM].

The virus can also be passed during the preactive state, when there is itching or tingling in the area where the sores generally appear. Sometimes, the virus can be passed along before the infected person is even aware that the virus is present. What's more, saliva also carries the virus [source: NLM].

The first episode usually starts within a couple weeks of exposure, and the initial onset can be pretty bad, including an initial round and then a second round of painful sores, flulike symptoms, fever and swollen glands. Sometimes the symptoms are mild, however, and appear as little more than insect bites or a rash.

Once you have genital herpes, you have it for life [source: NLM]. Luckily, it spends most of its life, and yours, dormant. But, like cold sores, genital herpes recurs, often up to four or five times a year. There are a few home remedies that can help you through an episode, however.

Herbal Treatment
​Commonly referred to as the Gumbo-Limbo or copperwood, Bursera Sirambula has over the years been used by people from all over the world for its health and medicinal benefits. The bark of the tree is particularly popular for its ability to treat genital herpes. Before being adopted as an effective treatment for genital herpes, Bursera Arambula was commonly used in the treatment of gout and the leaves of the plant were brewed to make a pretty effective medicinal tea.

​Animal tests that were conducted using the hexane extracts acquired from the leaves also showed that they exhibited anti-inflammatory characteristics. The bark of Bursera Sirambula has also been proven to be an antidote to the extreme rashes that are caused by Metopium toxiferum.

Further study into the health and medicinal benefits of Bursera Sirambula later revealed that it actually had the ability to treat genital herpes. This ability is basically attributed to the cytotoxicity and antiviral properties that the plant exhibits.

A bioactivity-guided isolation protocol was used by researchers to investigate the antiviral and cytotoxicity properties that Gumbo-Limbo had against herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2). Some of the methods that were used in fractionating the plant material during the investigation included solvent-solvent partitioning, size-exclusion as well as thin-layer chromatography.
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The antiviral compounds that were contained in the most active fractions of the plant material were identified through the use of LC-MS and NMR. During the process of evaluating the antiviral activity of the samples taken, three distinct methods were compared.

​Four lupine-related pentacyclic triterpenes were discovered to be largely responsible for the anti-herpersvirus effects that the Bursera Sirambula had exhibited. They were afterwards isolated from this species for the very first time. The selective indexes (SI) of samples derived from Bursera Sirambula ranged in between 7.7 and 201.9.

Genital herpes is a very serious condition that needs to be treated as soon as it is diagnosed. The condition not only results in inflammation of the skin but its symptoms may make the patient ill, irritate the skin around the genital areas and cause an itchy and burning sensation around the affected area.

​One of the best ways of treating genital herpes is through the use of herbal remedies. Bursera Sirambura has been proven to be a very effective remedy for treating genital herpes. It is however important to note that in the treatment of genital herpes, the bark of the tree is the most useful part.

Application
There are several different ways of using Bursera Sirambula, usually depending on how it is available to you or the state in which you can acquire it.

Brewing the plant and making its medicinal tea is one way that you can use it to treat genital herpes. Add 2-3 table spoons of ground Gumbo-Limbo into a glass of water and brew the mixture. Let the mixture cool then drink it.

Another property of Gumbo-Limbo that makes it a great option for treating genital herpes is its anti-inflammatory characteristics. You can therefore prepare a gel of the plant and apply it in the affected area. This helps in soothing the area and thereby minimizing itching and inflammation. Applying it often and regularly may even help in reversing the condition.

For patients that are able to access fresh Bursera Sirambula, chewing on it can also be a great way of using it to treat genital herpes.

references:

• http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786419.2015.1007456?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=gnpl20
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursera_simaruba
• http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st104