Bee products and the treatment of blister-like lesions around the mouth, skin and genitalia caused by herpes viruses-A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the value of bee products with respect to antiviral efficacy against herpes viruses.

DESIGN

A systematic review was done using the JUSTfind System of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen and Scopus.

RESULTS

Three trials on honey and 6 trials on propolis were conducted. Each trial provided evidence that these two bee products are interesting alternatives to acyclovir, especially propolis, which was found to be superior to acyclovir in 4 trials.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence from these trials suggests that propolis is the best of all natural possibilities in the treatment of herpetic skin lesions, especially those related to HSV-1. Future studies should analyse if propolis could be an adjunct to treatment with acyclovir. For lesions in the oral cavity, honey could be an interesting alternative.