Eyebright medicinal herb is used to treat cancer

Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) medicinal herb is a plant that is native to the grassland of Europe.  It just loves the grasses because it gets its nourishment from the roots and is therefore known as a semi parasitic plant.  It is however, a very important herb for the eyes.  

The name alone is a dead give away that it is for the eyes and after taking care of all those ailments, it should make the eyes brighter.  Traditionally it was utilized as poultice to treat inflammation of the eye.  It may be used internally as well as externally.

It is one of the oldest medicinal plants to be used for eye conditions as it is dated way back to the fourteenth century as folk medicine. It is an annual herbaceous flowering plant in the Orobanchaceae family.

The main parts used as herbal  medicine are the leaves and stems as well as parts of the flowers. One of its medicinal properties is astringent which has the ability to combat bacteria.

The common names are Euphrasia Eye Bright, Euphrasia Officinalis, Eye Bright, Herba as well as Luminet.

Its constituents are Alkaloid, Iridoid glycosides, Tannins, Phenolic acids, Volatile oils, Sterols, Choline and amino acids.

The medicinal properties are tonic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, bitter, antioxidant, astringent, anticatarrhal and antispasmodic.

Health benefits of eyebright herb

As mentioned before, it an excellent choice for most eye ailments.  It is good for eye infections, eyestrain, poor eyesight, redness of the eye, inflammation of the eye and swellings of the eye.  It may be used to treat blepharitis which is an inflammation of the eyelids as well as conjunctivitis, hypermetropia and sties.

The tea is excellent for ailments such as allergies, epilepsy, headaches, colds, coughs, hay fever, sore throat, sinusitis and other respiratory conditions.  Traditionally,  this medicinal herb was utilized as alternative treatments for eye ailments inclusive of acute inflammation, glaucoma, cataracts, night blindness, retinopathy as well as macular degeneration. 

The tea, drops, dry herb and essential oil may be purchased for easy access.  A poultice may be made and used on swellings.  It may also be purchased in an extract, tea bags or capsule form.  On the culinary side, this medicinal herb is good to flavor various types of food.  Do not use eyebright medicinal herb while pregnant or breastfeeding.

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Updated July 4, 2022