Natural Herbs for Eyes

Your eyes provide the vital sense of sight, but airborne allergens and other irritants can make your eyes sore and watery. Exposure to wind, dust or even reading in dim light can irritate your eyes or leave them feeling tired and achy. Your eyesight is not something to take for granted, so if you experience an eye infection with drainage or you have an accompanying fever or other symptoms, contact your doctor. However, if you want to reduce everyday eye stress and soothe minor irritations, you may want to try some natural herbal treatments.

Soothes

Joyce Wardell, author of "The Herbal Remedy Book," suggests making a soothing eye compress with fresh plantain leaves. Rinse the leaves and crease them slightly to release their beneficial ingredients before placing them on tired eyes. Alternately, you may substitute borage or lemon balm leaves. Wardell also recommends eating borage leaves, dandelion, violet and other dark green leafy vegetables to provide natural sources of Vitamin C, beneficial for eye health.

Strengthens

Leaves and fruit from the bilberry plant may help reduce eye inflammation and may promote healthy eyesight, reports the "PDR for Herbal Medicine." This herb, used as a compress or taken by mouth in capsule or tablet form, may protect and strengthen the capillaries in the retina. Bilberry is readily available in health food stores alone, or in herbal eyesight formulas. Talk to your doctor before taking bilberry if you are currently taking anticoagulants.
Native American medicine made use of black catnip to treat eye diseases. The "PDR for Herbal Medicine" suggests making a tea, using 10 plants, steeped in 1 liter of hot water. After the water cools, remove the plants and drink as a tea or use as an eyewash. Consult a qualified herbalist for exact dosages.

Eyewash

Glaucoma, an eye disease that may result in vision damage, may benefit from an herbal eyewash, advises the Eye Health Remedies website. The eyewash recipe includes mixing one part each of goldenseal, bayberry bark, eyebright and adding one-half or a part of cayenne pepper. Measure 1 tsp. the dry herb mixture and steep it in 1 cup of boiling water. Strain the liquid through a clean cloth and use as eyewash. The website also advises that the eyewash will sting, but that it will increase circulation to the eye.
Other potentially beneficial herbs, found in eyewash preparations, include cineraria maritima and triphala. Consult your eye doctor before using any herbal remedies directly in your eyes.