The whole herb is gathered while in bloom which contains tannins and iridoid glycosides and a volatile oil.

Eyebright

By now you should be getting the idea that if an herb contains tannins it is astringent and therefore toning to the mucous membranes and if it contains a volatile oil it has anti bacterial actions

Pat yourself on the back you got it right!

Eyebright is just about the herb of choice for anything going on in the eyes and sinuses.

It tones the mucous membranes and will clear an infection in both the sinuses and the eyes. . It also has anti histamine actions.

So it is in all my mixtures for sinusitis, eye conditions, hay fever and colds, coughs and allergies.

Internally I use it as a tincture but the fresh herb can be picked, made into a weak tea and used as eyewash for tired and sore eyes.

To make a tea:-

Pick about a dessertspoonful of the herb

Wash it and put it in to a cup.

Fill the cup with boiling water.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then strain it through a clean muslin cloth into another clean cup.

This will be a bit strong for eyewash so transfer two tablespoons into another cup and add two tablespoons of boiled water.

Leave this to stand until it is cold.

That’s your eyewash which you can soak into a clean cloth and place over your eyes or use it in an eye bath to wash the eyes out.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information