Parts Most Frequently Used: Stem, Leaf, Flower

Flavors/Temps: Slightly Astringent, Bitter, Cold, Dry

Caution: Considered safe.

History/Folklore: In the 14th century, it was described as a cure for all eye ailments. Its botanical name, “Euphrasia” comes from the Greek word meaning gladness, presumably because of the plant’s ability to help someone see again. It was described as strengthening the head, eyes, memory, and helping to clear sight.  In Elizabethan England it was recommended to drink a small drought of eyebright wine every morning.

Eyebright has been used in Britain as an herbal tobacco, which was smoked for on-going lung conditions and colds.

In Iceland, the expressed juice is used to treat most eye ailments and in Scotland an infusion of the herb in milk is used as a gentle wash to treat inflamed eyes.

Culpepper described the herb as, “an excellent water to clear the sight.”

Eyebright is a strong astringent and good at drying mucous and nasal or lung congestion. Topically, this same property makes eyebright useful for healing skin wounds, acne, or inflammation of the skin.

Typically, an adult dosage is 2-4 grams of the dried herb up to three times a day. The same dosage can be added to 5 ounces of boiling water for a wonderful medicinal tea. 1 drop 1-5 times a day, is a common dosage for treating eyes. Another recipe for tea calls for 1 teaspoon of carefully washed fresh eyebright, boiling it in 1 ½ cups of water for 10 minutes, drain the leaves, let the mixture cool and use a small cotton pad as compress, three to four times daily.

For cataracts, weeping eyes or pink eye (conjunctivitis) use 5-8 drops of eyebright tincture in 2 cups of water as a wash for the irritated eyes.

Eyebright does not transplant well in a garden, unless it is surrounded by grass, which seems to act as a “protector” for the transplanted plant. Eyebright relies on the roots of other plants for nourishment.  It will not kill the grass, just live off its roots!