Shingles

Shingles and postherpetic neuralgia treatment with capsaicin, cannabinoids, and terpenes with TRPV1 activation

 

 

Receptor target for shingles

 

TRPV1 (78E)

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Cannabinoids that are an agonist of TRPV1

 

CBD, CBG, THCV, TCHVA, CBC, CBN, CBDA, CBGA, CBDV, and CBGV. (3A,19A,20A,21A)

 

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Terpenes that interact with the TRPV1 receptor

 

b-myrcene and nerolidol are TRPV1 agonists,(68C)  (-)-α-bisabolol is a TRPV1 antagonist,(52D) geraniol is a TRPV1 putative modulator,(81D) and cedrol is a TRPV1 modulator.(3E)

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The experiences shared are based on personal research and anecdotal evidence; individual results may vary. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for advice tailored to your specific health situation, especially before making any changes to your treatment or lifestyle.

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Basic physiology and current treatment of shingles

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     Shingles (herpes zoster) is a viral syndrome caused by the varicella-zoster virus to become reactivated. This typically happens to adults and the elderly. After being infected with chickenpox (varicella) becomes dormant in the nervous system. Activation of the virus can be triggered by things like emotional stress, medications (especially immunosuppressants), acute or chronic illness, malignancy, and re-exposure to the varicella virus.(76E)

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     When varicella is reactivated, the virus replicates neuronal cell bodies, and the virions shed by the cells are carried down the nerve to the skin that is innervated by the affected ganglion. The virus causes localized inflammation, blistering, and severe pain.(76E)      

 

     Shingles is typically treated with medications such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir. Antibiotic creams may be used to prevent secondary infections, and pain relieving medications are also often needed.(76E)     

 

     Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) typically affects the elderly and immunocompromised. The pain is severe, and can affect the basics of daily life. Treatment could include tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin and pregabalin, lidocaine patch, capsaicin cream, and opiates.(77E)

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     Shingles (herpes zoster) has an overexpression of TRPV1 receptors in the epidermis. The pain associated with shingles could be from non-neuronal TRPV1.(78E) TRPV1 agonists induce long-term receptor down-regulation by modulating the expression level of the channel through a mechanism that promotes receptor endocytosis and degradation.(79E)

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How effective is capsaicin in treating shingles and postherpetic neuralgia?

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First case - myself with systemic TRPV1 activation using capsaicin

 

     I had one episode of shingles in 2024, which coincided with when I had low phosphate that caused some minor heart problems that were caused by Keppra. Shingles was the worst pain I had experienced. When I researched the treatments for it, I found out I needed to work on downregulating the TRPV1 upregulation. Since the lesions were very inflamed, I did not want to try topical capsaicin. So I tried eating spicy food throughout the day, with every meal and in between meals. I had pickled jalapenos throughout the day, and had 3 extra spicy Xocolatl drinks (Aztec style hot chocolate) everyday. See the multi chemical sensitivity section for the recipe. The more spicy food I ate, the better the pain relief was. I was unable to handle anything spicier than jalapenos and chipotle powder. Habaneros affected my heart in a negative way, but helped with the shingles pain better than jalapenos. 

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     The constant low level TRPV1 activation could have reduced the inflammation response, as well as downregulate the excess TRPV1 receptors in areas that are overexpressed. The shingles went away in about a month with no residual pain with the ingestion of capsaicin with every meal.

 

 

Second Case - my mother with postherpetic neuralgia

 

     My mother, who is in her 70’s, had shingles in 2021 and developed severe postherpetic neuralgia that persisted until mid 2024. After I had shingles myself, I knew more about how to treat the pain. When I found out about utilizing capsaicin, I made some chile de arbol infused shea butter. I reinfused that shea butter twice, since I did not use enough chiles the first time. There needed to be a good burning feeling to make that work. She applied that spicy shea butter twice per day, and the PHN was completely gone after 1 month of using capsaicin. The pain relief was immediate once it was applied to the affected area, and the PHN never returned. She did not have to use capsaicin after the PHN went away.

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Cannabinoid and terpene for shingle treatment

 

     Several cannabinoids are an agonist of TRPV1. A cream or some shea butter infused with those specific cannabinoids could help desensitize and downregulate the excess TRPV1 receptors of shingles. I personally tried some CBD infused MCT drops on my shingles, and it did relieve some of the pain. It was not anywhere close to how effective the systemic TRPV1 activation was with capsaicin. The MCT oil drops are what I take throughout the day sublingually, and I used that topically to try out for shingle pain relief. Shea butter infused with CBD would likely be better absorbing than the MCT oil that left my skin feeling oily.

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Systemic TRPV1 activation with cannabinoids for shingles

 

     This is another trial I did on myself when I had shingles. I already used CBD in MCT oil drops along with chocolate infused with THC to reduce seizures. That dose was already high enough to reduce most generalized pain, but did not help with shingles pain at all. For me, eating very spicy food was much more effective than cannabinoids for shingles. Topical use of CBD was better for that pain than eating CBD and THC.

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The terpenes that could possibly help with shingles are broken

down into three categories:

 

 

TRPV1 agonists

 

     b-Myrcene and nerolidol are TRPV1 agonists.(68C) These terpenes could act similar to capsaicin without the burn by activating, desensitizing, and downregulating the over expressed TRPV1 receptors.

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TRPV1 antagonist

 

     (-)-α-Bisabolol is a TRPV1 antagonist.(52D) This terpene is found in chamomile.(54D) It is possible that antagonizing the TRPV1 receptors in shingles would reduce pain from reducing the signaling from that receptor. Chamomile infused shea butter is a possible method to try.

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TRPV1 modulator

 

     Geraniol is a TRPV1 putative modulator,(81D) and cedrol is a TRPV1 modulator.(3E) Modulators of TRPV1 would likely reduce pain by modifying how the receptor responds to stimuli. It is not known how effective they are at down regulating receptors like a TRPV1 agonist would. 

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     I personally did not try any terpenes or chamomile infused shea butter when I had shingles since I did not research that in depth back then. Knowing what I know now, I would have tried CBD and chamomile infused shea butter when I had active shingles; in addition to the systemic TRPV1 activation with capsaicin.

 

 

Note: Some people may experience skin irritation when using terpenes. To minimize the risk, always dilute them in a carrier oil such as shea butter before applying to the skin.