Dosages & Applications of Eyebright

Historically a simple infusion was used externally to bathe the eyes with. It was made by infusing 1oz of the eyebright herb in a pint of boiling water and three to four times a day washing the eyes with it. If there was pain in the eyes this infusion was used warm and more frequently throughout the day. For ordinary use a cold application of the infusion worked just fine. However in Iceland it was the expressed juice that was used for the eye and in Scotland they made the infusion with milk and applied it to the eye with a feather dipped in the infusion.

For bronchial problems eyebright was combined with tobacco and smoked by the British and the American Indians. Homeopaths used a tincture of eyebright in wine and then combined 30 drops of the tincture with a wineglassful of rosewater which was used several times a day for inflamed eyes or for bronchial catarrh, hay fever, and colds.

A convenient way to take eyebright today is in capsule or tablet form. The formulas listed above range from taking two to eight capsules daily. You can also take eyebright internally as a tea and several cups of tea a day can be taken. When taking eyebright internally you can also use a tincture of eyebright in an alcohol or glycerin base and put 15-30 drops directly in the mouth or put them in a cup of water and drink it. By taking eyebright internally you are usually trying to get the benefit of the nutrients available in eyebright or use it for getting rid of congestion or allergies.

For external use of eyebright to help reduce inflammation, as an antiseptic, or as an astringent to tonify mucus membranes, you can make an infusion with the eyebright steeping it in hot water for at least 10 minutes. After straining the infusion you can use it to make an eye compress by soaking cloth in the infusion and placing it over the eyes for 20 minutes. You can also use the infusion to bathe the eyes with by pouring the cooled infusion into sterile eyecups and tipping the head back blink the eyes for several minutes and then repeat with another sterile cup for the other eye. Another way to bathe the eyes is to put 3-5 drops of an alcohol based eyebright tincture in boiling distilled water poured into the sterile eyecups and letting this cool before using it as an eyewash.