Summary of my past is that I have tried a few alternative treatments with no real success to measure (chaparral, lauracidin).

When I took acyclovir every other day (200-400 mg, depending on what I got prescribed), I had zero outbreaks for years at a time.

Decided to stop taking acyclovir, and moved to BHT alone, in the 700 mg per day range. I was getting OB's about once every 2-4 weeks, and they would last 2-5 days, with heavy scabbing, although the OB's were small and isolated to a specific area. I stayed on BHT alone for about a year or so, with these type results. I eventually added the "Purell Treatment" to existing OB's and noted a quicker drying time, maybe cutting a day or two off the entire OB process (along with the BHT).

About 4 months ago, I added some St. Johns Wort to the BHT mix, and the OB's basically stopped. In that time I have had two *possible" OB's, but what they manifest themselves as is the almost immediate scabbing part of the process, and it is very small and isolated, and almost unnoticeable unless something rubs of the scab. It is also quite possible that these may be a residual effect of sexual contact, also.

If you think of an OB process as being Prodromal- blister- scabbing/drying, it is as if the OB starts and ends at "blister/drying", and this has only happened twice, and the ENTIRE OB process is a matter of a day or two, and then gone, assuming that is what these are.

I purchase the BHT from either Vitamin Research Products (VRP) or Beyond a Century (BAC) (BAC sells the VRP branded BHT), and the St. Johns Wort I purchase from BAC or Vitacost, and who I purchase it from depends mainly on any other products I may be purchasing at the time.

Currently taking, daily, 350 mg of BHT and 450 mg of 0.3% hypericin / 3% hyperforin standard St. Johns Wort.

Your mileage may vary, but give it a try if you are looking for an alternative treatment that worked for someone else, and is relatively cheap.

I don't visit the forum much, so I don't know if I will respond to anything in a timely manner, but a google search of "BHT and hypericin" ought give plenty of information about dosage and rationale.