Practical
Plants

Euphrasia officinalis

Eyebright

an annual member of the Euphrasia genus in the family Scrophulariaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.15 m
Spread
0.1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw[13]. They are occasionally used in salads for their slightly bitter flavour[13].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Eyebright has a long history of herbal use in the treatment of eye problems and is still in current herbal use[11]. It is important that only the correct forms of eyebright, with glandular hairs on the calyx, are used, since other forms do not possess medicinal virtues[10]. Eyebright tightens the mucous membranes of the eye and appears to relieve the inflammation of conjunctivitis and blepharitis[9]. Its ability to counter catarrh means that it is often used for infectious and allergic conditions affecting the eyes, middle ear, sinuses and nasal passages[9]. The whole plant is anti-inflammatory, astringent, digestive, ophthalmic and slightly tonic[[11][13][14][2][3][5]. It is taken internally in the treatment of catarrh, sinusitis, hay fever, upper respiratory tract infections etc[8]. As an ophthalmic, an infusion of the plant can be taken internally or used as an eye wash. Alternatively, the diluted juice can be dropped into the eyes[7]. Some caution should be exercised, experimentally it can induce side effects including dim vision[6]. The plant's astringency makes it inappropriate for treating dry or stuffy congestion[9]. The plant can be used externally as a poultice to aid the healing of wounds[10]. Eyebright should be harvested when in flower and can be dried for later use[8]. The dried herb is a ingredient of herbal smoking mixtures, used in the treatment of chronic bronchial colds[11]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the expressed juice of the plant[7]. It is used particularly in the treatment of eye inflammations and colds[13][7].

Product or use
Antiinflammatory
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Digestive
Product or use
Homeopathy
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Tonic

Environment

Range
W. Europe, including Britain, to E. Asia.
Habitat
Moist grassland and chalky pastures, semi-parasitic on grass[11][13].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Sow the seed outdoors in situ in early spring amongst grass in a moist but not marshy soil[1].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in most soils, preferring chalk or limestone[4]. Eyebright is a semi-parasitic plant, growing on the roots of various species of grass[11] and also on Trifolium pratense and Plantago species[8]. The grass does not seem to suffer unduly from this parasitism since eyebright is an annual and its cells do not penetrate very deeply into the grass[11]. There is some doubt over the validity of the name of this species, some botanists now call it Euphrasia rostkoviana. Eyebright is a variable aggregate species, some botanists divide it into a number of different species[1][12]. Only those forms of eyebright which have glandular hairs on the calyx possess medicinal qualities[10]. It hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  3. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  5. Stapleton. C. Bamboos of Nepal The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1994-00-00 ISBN 0947643680

    ↩

  6. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩

  7. Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-333-55581-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  12. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  13. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩

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