It worked quite well with my son's condition. The body will respond to the symptoms with the proper amino acid.

Years ago medical labs used the amino acid L-Arginine to grow their herpes culture (shingles is also called herpes zoster). Foods high in L-Arginine include chocolate and most nuts, such as almonds and peanuts.

Once the lab was finished with the herpes culture they would kill/clean the virus with a wash of L-Lysine solution. Eventually this was recommended as a helpful way to combat the virus in humans.

Here's a quick link on shingles: http://www.m.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/shingles-topic-overview