Herb library · Herb · Euphrasia officinalis, E. rostkoviana
Eyebright
A small meadow plant long used in eyewashes and compresses for sore, watery eyes. Europe's regulator declined to endorse it: its benefit is undocumented and homemade eye preparations are unsafe.
Traditional use
Eyebright's name tells its history: traditionally its infusion was laid on the eyes as a compress or wash for irritated, watery eyes and head colds, and it was also taken by mouth. A nasal ointment with an eyebright tincture has been used for nasal irritation in colds. When the European Medicines Agency reviewed it in 2010, it found the traditional eye use insufficiently documented and concluded that no European monograph could be written.
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot and dry. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 237 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Insufficient
Eye irritation and conjunctivitis: two small studies exist. An open study of 65 people using homeopathic eye drops made with eyebright reported improvement but had no comparison group, and a pilot in 44 newborns with red, watery eyes found no difference from saline washes alone. The EMA says no conclusion on efficacy or safety can be drawn.
- Insufficient
Colds and other uses: no adequate data.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteDo not put homemade eyebright tea or infusions in your eyes. The EMA judged ex tempore eye preparations not hygienic and not safe; their quality does not meet current standards for products used in the eye.
- ConditionSee a doctor if eye symptoms do not improve within 2 days.
- NoteNo serious side effects or drug interactions have been reported, but the studies were too small to show safety, and data on how the eye tolerates it are missing.
- PregnancyThere is no information for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“Four fluid ounces of the infusion taken every morning upon an empty stomach, and also every night at bedtime is asserted to have been found successful in curing epilepsy. Such extravagant statements are not calculated to inspire confidence in the use of medicines.”
“Eyebright is something hot and dry, the very sight of it refresheth the eyes; inwardly taken, it restores the sight, and makes old men's eyes young, a dram of it taken in the morning is worth a pair of spectacles”
Sources
- Public statement on Euphrasia officinalis L. and Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne, herba (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Euphrasia officinalis L. and Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne, herba (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Prospective cohort trial of Euphrasia single-dose eye drops in conjunctivitis (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.