{
  "dataset": "lysine-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "L-Lysine Supplements Compared — cost per gram and per 3 g/day trial-range dose",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/lysine/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), L-Lysine Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-20",
  "methodology": "All five products here are plain L-lysine (HCl), disclosed at 1,000 mg per serving (1 scoop of powder or 1 tablet) — an identical molecule at an identical per-serving dose. costPerGram = price / (servings x (mgPerServing / 1000)). costPerTrialDose = costPerGram x 3 (the 3 g/day dose used in Griffith 1987, the strongest positive cold-sore-prevention RCT in this evidence set). unitsPerTrialDose = number of scoops/tablets needed per day to reach 3 g. EVIDENCE CONTEXT (genuinely mixed, YMYL category — not a cure or treatment claim): cold-sore-prevention (recurrent herpes labialis, HSV-1) trials split roughly evenly between positive and null at sustained doses of 1,000-3,000 mg/day. POSITIVE: Griffith 1987 (PMID 3115841, n=52, 3,000 mg/day, 6 months); McCune 1984 (PMID 6435961, n=41, 1,248 mg/day effective, 624 mg/day NOT effective — the clean dose-floor citation); Thein & Hurt 1984 (PMID 6438572, n=26, benefit tied to serum lysine exceeding ~165 nmol/ml). NULL: Milman 1980 (PMID 6153847, n=65, 1,000 mg/day, \"no effect on the recurrence rate\" — primary null, with a borderline p=0.05 secondary on recurrence-free patients); DiGiovanna & Blank 1984 (PMID 6419679, n=21, 1,200 mg/day, \"unlikely that lysine improves\" recurrent HSV); Simon 1985 (PMID 3919651, null, no abstract available). The Cochrane 2015 systematic review (PMID 26252373) places lysine among interventions that \"either showed no efficacy or could not confirm their efficacy\" for cold-sore prevention, distinct from oral antivirals, which it found DID reduce recurrence. The lysine/arginine antagonism mechanism (PMID 6262023) is in-vitro tissue culture, not a proven human outcome. Lysine is NOT a treatment for an already-active cold sore and is NOT a substitute for antiviral medication (acyclovir, valacyclovir). This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 5,
    "trialDoseG": 3,
    "doseFloorMg": 1000,
    "cheapestPerTrialDose": 0.1,
    "cheapestPerTrialDoseBrand": "Nutricost",
    "cheapestStickerBrand": "Nature's Bounty",
    "cheapestStickerPrice": 7.42,
    "note": "The cheapest sticker price is not the cheapest way to reach the trial-relevant 3 g/day dose — powder wins on cost per gram, and a small, low-count tablet bottle looks cheap but delivers the fewest days of supply at 3 tablets/day."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "mgPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerGram",
    "costPerTrialDose",
    "unitsPerTrialDose",
    "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose"
  ],
  "units": {
    "mgPerServing": "mg L-lysine",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerGram": "USD per gram of L-lysine",
    "costPerTrialDose": "USD per 3 g/day trial-range dose"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "L-lysine 3,000 mg/day for 6 months reduced HSV recurrence frequency, severity, and healing time in a double-blind RCT (n=52).",
      "source": "Griffith RS, Walsh DE, Myrmel KH. 1987, Dermatologica",
      "pmid": "3115841"
    },
    {
      "claim": "1,248 mg/day L-lysine reduced recurrence rate; 624 mg/day did NOT, in a randomized double-blind crossover trial (n=41).",
      "source": "McCune MA, Perry HO, Muller SA, O'Fallon WM. 1984, Cutis",
      "pmid": "6435961"
    },
    {
      "claim": "L-lysine 1,000 mg/day found \"no effect on the recurrence rate\" (primary result) in the largest trial in this set (n=65, double-blind crossover); a secondary measure — more patients recurrence-free on lysine than placebo — reached borderline significance (p=0.05).",
      "source": "Milman N, Scheibel J, Jessen O. 1980, Acta Derm Venereol",
      "pmid": "6153847"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Cochrane systematic review places lysine among interventions with no confirmed efficacy for cold-sore prevention, unlike oral antivirals.",
      "source": "Chi CC, et al. 2015, Cochrane Database Syst Rev",
      "pmid": "26252373"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "L-Lysine Powder (500 g)",
      "slug": "nutricost-l-lysine-powder-500g",
      "form": "Powder",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 500,
      "price": 15.95,
      "costPerGram": 0.032,
      "costPerTrialDose": 0.1,
      "unitsPerTrialDose": 3,
      "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose": 166
    },
    {
      "brand": "BulkSupplements",
      "product": "BulkSupplements.com L-Lysine Powder (500 g)",
      "slug": "bulksupplements-l-lysine-powder-500g",
      "form": "Powder",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 500,
      "price": 19.97,
      "costPerGram": 0.04,
      "costPerTrialDose": 0.12,
      "unitsPerTrialDose": 3,
      "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose": 166
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "L-Lysine 1,000 mg (240 Tablets)",
      "slug": "nutricost-l-lysine-1000mg-240-tabs",
      "form": "Tablet",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 240,
      "price": 19.95,
      "costPerGram": 0.083,
      "costPerTrialDose": 0.25,
      "unitsPerTrialDose": 3,
      "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose": 80
    },
    {
      "brand": "Solgar",
      "product": "L-Lysine 1,000 mg (250 Tablets)",
      "slug": "solgar-l-lysine-1000mg-250-tabs",
      "form": "Tablet",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 250,
      "price": 23.01,
      "costPerGram": 0.092,
      "costPerTrialDose": 0.28,
      "unitsPerTrialDose": 3,
      "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose": 83
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nature's Bounty",
      "product": "L-Lysine 1,000 mg (60 Tablets)",
      "slug": "natures-bounty-l-lysine-1000mg-60-tabs",
      "form": "Tablet",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 7.42,
      "costPerGram": 0.124,
      "costPerTrialDose": 0.37,
      "unitsPerTrialDose": 3,
      "daysPerContainerAtTrialDose": 20
    }
  ]
}