Unfortunately most of the alternative products do not provide consistent relief from herpes which is why you don't hear a lot of folks around here recommending them.
Always important to remember that you can significantly reduce shedding of the herpes virus and significantly reduce recurrences effectively with the prescription herpes antivirals. If you are in a discordant relationship (where one partner has herpes and the other doesn't), it's important to pick a treatment that helps to reduce risk to a partner as well as reduce recurrences so that your sex life is not reduced due to recurrences.