Is abreva good for genital herpes?

Herpes simplex: Docosanol is an antiviral medication used to treat cold sore infections caused by the herpes simplex virus. Docosanol shortens the healing time and the length of time symptoms are present and is now approved by the fda for treating cold sores on the face and lips. Do not know if the carrier will irritate genital tissues. You could try a tiny area first.

Not so good: Docosanol (Abreva) has little if any effect against herpes outbreaks. It somewhat inhibits the virus in the lab, but has little benefit in shortening outbreaks. (The same is true for all creams or ointments, such as acyclovir or penciclovir, even though these are far more potent than docosanol against the virus.) Effective treatment requires oral therapy, e.g. valacyclovir or acyclovir.