Herbal Treatment for Eyes Problems

Apple Roast an apple in the oven and apply the pulp as warm as you can comfortably stand to relieve inflamed or tired eyes.

Borage Eat young borage leaves in a salad, and use strong borage tea to strengthen the eyes.

Cabbage The ancient Greeks used fresh white cabbage juice (with tiny amounts of honey added) to relieve sore or inflamed, moist, running eyes. For runny eyes in infants, cleanse the eyes every half hour with warm water. Bruise fresh cabbage leaves to a soft pulp and apply a cabbage pack to the closed eyes. This will tend to increase the flow for a few days, but will cure the condition after a very short while thereafter.

My grandmother's cure for inflamed and sick eyes: Wash the eyes every morning with fasting saliva. Add saliva to a small amount of green or grey (pure) clay, and apply it as poultice to the closed eyes. Meanwhile, boil cabbage leaves and dip a cloth into the cabbage water. Apply the wet cloth over the clay pack. Wash the eyes off with warm water when the clay dries. Repeat this each morning for as long necessary.

Chamomile Chamomile tea compresses and chamomile tea rinses are eye easing, and applications can be repeated as often as necessary.

Cucumber Pink eyes, sunburn, and eyestrain may all be relieved by application of cooling and refreshing cucumber slices to the closed eyes.

Eyebright For simple inflammation and bloodshot eyes, steep a handful of fresh or dried eyebright in a pint of brandy. Strain the liquid after two weeks. Combine 30 drops of tincture with 4 tablespoons of rosewater (another eye easer). Use this mixture several times a day on pads over the eyes.

Use cool fresh eyebright tea eye wash daily (one tablespoon to cup of boiled water) to strengthen the eyes and help control many eye problems.

This ancient folk medicine is very effective.

Fennel For eyewash, add half a teaspoon of fennel powder (made from crushed and blended fennel seeds) to 21/2 ounces of clear cold water. Strain the liquid and use it as a lotion for almost any eye problem. Several old histories report instances where monks used fennel root for control of cataracts, but unlike folk medicine recipes, which are handed down from family to family, from century to century, this appears to be hearsay.

Goldenseal For a lotion, steep half a teaspoon of goldenseal root powder in a cup of just boiled water. Cool the liquid. Make sure the powder is thoroughly dissolved. This was used by many midwestern Indian tribes and early American settlers, and later by Seventh Day Adventists. Keep the eyes closed, and apply the lotion with absorbent cotton.

Rosewater Rosewater is a simple and surprisingly effective eye easer. Use it on compresses for inflamed eyes.

Tansy Tansy tea is said to be effective for eye inflammation or sty compress. Always discard the gauze used on sties, to control possible contagion.

Thyme Dioscorides, the great Greek physician, wrote that thyme added to food helps overcome dimness of sight.

Witch Hazel Use witch hazel compresses for relief of sore, red, strained, or inflamed eyes. Use it on closed eyes.

Yarrow The Blackfoot Indians used an infusion of yarrow leaf and yarrow flower for an eye wash.