Now that’s a good question. I know there’s a lot of Google searching going on with that and not a lot of information. I’m not a medical doctor and there’s not a lot of scientific research on the health benefits of ayahuasca out there, so I’m just sharing my personal experience.
According to the World Health Organization, 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 (67% of the world’s population, 1 in 2 Americans) has the HSV-1 virus, or oral herpes. Less common, but I’m sure no less painful is HSV-2 or genital herpes. In this article I’m speaking of HSV-1, but in any case, if you have herpes, you know how miserable the outbreaks can be.
Prior to January 2019, I battled with severe cold sore outbreaks on my lips. I started getting outbreaks during my teenage years. My mom suffered terrible cold sores so I assumed it was genetic and/or it was passed from her to me somehow. They were generally triggered by exposure to the elements, including prolonged exposure to the sun, wind and snow or saltwater from growing up skiing in the mountains, and now living in a tropical ocean climate. They also seemed to pop up anytime my immune system was slightly down, or I had run myself ragged. I would get one about every six weeks. The peak eruption and pain period lasting about 5 days, and healing seemed to take another week and a half so by the time I had healed, another one was in the lineup. Not to mention the fact they were painful, but I was self-conscious and embarrassed by the large weeping wound on my face.
In January of 2019 I went to an ayahuasca retreat center for eight days. I participated in three ayahuasca ceremonies and felt tremendous healing occur. One woman had an eye twitch that stopped after one of her ceremonies. My herpes had to wait for time to tell.
It’s now been a year since my retreat and yes, I do still have the herpes virus. However, I have only had three cold sore outbreaks during that time. One of them was during my intensive 300 hour shamanic energy medicine training in Chile, along with a bright red rash on my left cheek. Although I was practicing daily yoga and eating organic, clean food, I was assured by Alberto Villoldo that the reasoning for this outbreak was the extreme shifts of energy as I worked my way through personal healing.
When I faced these few outbreaks over the past year, I started using a combination of essential oils to speed up the healing process. I’ve tried everything under the sun over the years, from prescriptions to natural remedies, but the essential oils finally seemed to assist with stopping the outbreak and speeding up the healing process.
So the answer is, for me personally, no, ayahuasca did not cure my HSV-1 virus since the three outbreaks I have had since then signify that I am still carrying the virus, but something profound did happen. I now seem to have a more strengthed immune system, and/or I’m less vulnerable to the outbreaks.
Update July 2023: I have found that the best remedy for preventing cold sores has been adding a mixture of powdered mushrooms into my morning coffee. I use a mix of reishi, chaga, turkey tail, and lion’s mane. I don’t get cold sores anymore unless I’m traveling and not taking my mushroom mix. Make sure to do your research on mushroom companies as many products found on Amazon have fillers. I use Real Mushrooms or Host Defense brands.
the healing benefits of essential oils
A concoction of essential oils to help the body heal. Read more about essential oils and their ability to heal cold sores.
Facing ayahuasca
After a terrifying experience, I stepped back up to the plate and sat with ayahuasca for a second round.
