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You are here: Home / Coconut Oil / Can Oil Pulling With Coconut Oil Spread The Herpes Virus?

Can Oil Pulling With Coconut Oil Spread The Herpes Virus?

By Jennifer Updated: December 20, 2019. First published: April 1, 2015. This post may contain affiliate links. 2 Comments  

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I love all the comments and emails I get from all of you. Many of them spark new blog posts, especially if I seem to getting the same comment or question frequently.

The other day someone mentioned that oil pulling with coconut oil can spread the herpes virus. Upon clarification, this reader was referring to the herpes virus associated with cold sores.

Hmmmm….interesting. I had not come across this particular issue related to oil pulling with coconut oil in any of my researching travels. So of course, I got sucked into to the coconut oil pulling herpes world trying to determine if this was indeed true.

My knowledge about oil pulling in general told me that this was possible but for a very specific reason. But what about the coconut oil part? Did that play a specific role?

Oil Pulling With Coconut Oil and the Herpes Connection

I scoured the internet. I pulled every book I had on coconut oil off the shelf. I tried to find a definitive answer but I couldn’t.

So here’s the thing. I wrote about oil pulling once.  I specifically mention that sometimes, symptoms can get worse before they get better. It is the body’s way of moving all the bad stuff out. So likely, this particular person was experiencing something that very often occurs as a result of the body trying to flush out the system. The herpes virus spread.

I honestly do not think coconut oil itself plays a specific role in spreading the herpes virus if used as the oil of choice during oil pulling. If anything, I would think that coconut oil would help reduce the severity of outbreaks. You can read more about coconut oil’s cold sore fighting prowess in this post.

A woman with a cold sore (herpes) on her lip

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About The Author

Jennifer, author of Hybrid Rasta Mama, is a former government recruiter turned work-at-home mama to a daughter brought earthside in early 2009. She is passionate about and writes about holistic health and wellness, natural/green living, toxic mold awareness, and the benefits of coconut oil. She frequently shares allergy friendly recipes on her site as well as DIY herbal remedies, DIY natural body care, and natural cleaning recipes.

Jennifer graduated with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Ethnic Studies. In January 2019 she became a certified mold and moisture intrusion inspector. She has completed coursework in the naturopathic series offered by the Avicenna Institute and accredited through the Board of Natural Medicine Certification Council.

Jennifer is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors as well as the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness.

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Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with your health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking any medication, please consult your physician. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment.

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Comments

  1. Starlene @ GAPS Diet Journey says

    April 2, 2015 at 12:36 PM

    My first thought was to find out if coconut is high in arginine. My first cold sore erupted on my lower lip in 1991 after a very stressful time in my life (left my home, husband, alone with the children, etc., on welfare). After a few sores learned I could avoid them altogether by taking L-Lysine at the very first inkling (for me they begin as a slight tingling feeling just above or below my lip). And so I went googling and learned that coconut is higher in arginine than lysine. I found this PDF which talks about balancing arginine and lysine in one’s diet. http://www.sandiegohomeopathy.com/downloads/Lysine_Arginine_Foods.pdf Here is a pertinent snippet from the article: “There is a correlation between Lysine and Arginine in Herpes outbreaks. The general rule is reduce the amount of Arginie in your diet and increase the amount of Lysine. Lysine supplementation is also recommended. … Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, milk, cheese, beans, brewer’s yeast, mung bean sprouts and most fruits and vegetables have more lysine than arginine, except for peas. Gelatin, chocolate, carob, coconut, oats, whole wheat and, white flour, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat germ have more arginine than lysine. Supplementing your diet with L-Lysine helps to assure that you tilt the scales toward the lysine side, helping to prevent outbreaks…” According to this article, shredded coconut higher arginine than lysine. (0.27 ratio). That is the only thing I can think where a person might think oil pulling will “spread” herpes.

    Reply
  2. Larissa says

    May 15, 2017 at 7:25 PM

    I did 2 days oil pulling with coconut oil thinking it was like a detox and now I have labial herpes and I googled it because I have a very chilling weekend so I did not understand how the herpes spread. Now I see a lot of post asking the same question, definitely there is a real relationship between them.

    Reply

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