Eyebright 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Eyebright – 100 g ($14.99), 50 g ($9.99), 25 g ($7.99)

Benefits:
Eyebright is, as its name suggests, the most widely recommended herb for eyestrain, eye inflammations, stinging and weeping eyes, and over-sensitivity to light. It is also used for coughs and hoarseness and seems to protect the liver against poisoning. Eyebright has anti-inflammatory and astringent properties that make it useful in treating congestive states such as hay fever, sinusitis, and nasal congestion. There is also some evidence that individual chemicals in eyebright may be useful for treating other problems, including hepatitis B and respiratory infections.

Conjunctivitis and bloodshot eyes. Many herb experts have expressed the opinion that eyebright’s centuries of use as a remedy for conjunctivitis and bloodshot eyes is insufficient to commend it for modern use. Their rejection of this herb is due to the fact that detailed study of some of the chemicals in eyebright was not completed until 1999. Although there is no specific evidence that eyebright as a whole is particularly useful for eye conditions, there is considerable evidence that compounds in the herb are anti-inflammatory. The eyebright chemicals aucubin, ladroside, and veronicoside have been shown to stop inflammation in laboratory animals. Aucubin also stimulates the production of proteins that are involved in the process of healing. Few clinical studies in humans exist.

Recommended Use
Eyebright is used in compresses and eyedrops, but it also comes in capsule and tablet form. Commercial preparations are preferable to compresses made from home-brewed eyebright teas because they are less likely to be contaminated by bacteria. Some over-the-counter (OTC) eyebright tablets combine the herb with other nutritional factors useful in maintaining ocular health, including bilberry, rutin, and hesperidin. Eyebright tablets can be used along with eyebright compresses and drops for additional benefit.

Botanical Name: Euphrasia Officinalis
Also, known as: Bright-eye, Birds-eye, Augentrost, Casselunettes, Oogentroost, Eufrasia, Adhil.
Habitat: Europe, Northern and Western Asia and North America
Origin: Bulgaria
Harvested: Wild or Cultivated
Parts Used: Entire plant

General Information:
Euphrasia Officinalis is an annual plant, grows two to eight inches tall. This is a very small plant that grows anywhere from ten to thirty cm. The stem is erect and wiry, either unbranched in smaller plants, or with several opposite branches in the taller plants. This little elegant plant, with deep cut leaves and white or purple blooms that have yellow variegations. The leaves, also, are sometimes almost round, and at other times pointed and narrow, their margins, however, always deeply cut into teeth. There are opposite branches on an erect stem with leaves that will be up to ½” long.
Flowers are on terminal spokes with a two-lipped corolla. The flowers have a black center and purple streaks on the petals with a central yellow spot. Eyebright flowers are primarily white, or lilac with purple-veins. The corolla is two lipped, its lower, tube-like portion being enclosed in a green calyx, tipped with four teeth. The upper lip is two-lobed and arches over the stamens forming a shelter-like structure. The lower lip is spreading and three-lobed, each lobe being notched. The seeds are in tiny flat capsules.
Eyebright is a semi-parasitic plant, meaning that it is nourished by the roots of other plants and that’s why needs to grow near grass. It is a member of the Figwort family of plants. Eyebright is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. SO you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.