Eyebright is the name of a group of plants belonging to the figwort family. They have whitish flowers streaked with purple. The name indicates their traditional use as an eye-medicine.

This page provides an Eyebright product for sale, plus Eyesight Rx for better vision - works within hours or days.

Eyebright Herb, 100 Capsules, 430 mg
Nature's Way
Historically used to support healthy eye function
Herbal Eyebright Dietary Supplement

Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) is a small annual herb native to Europe. The flowering Eyebright herb has been used since the Middle Ages by herbalists and was cultivated in monastery herb gardens.

The historical use of eyebright herb for eye problems was due in part to the 16th century, of a plant's appearance indicating its use, called the Doctrine of Signatures.

Recommendation: As an addition to the daily diet, take one or two eyebright capsules 1 to 2  times daily, preferably with food.

Eyebright Supplement Facts
Eyebright - (stem, leaf, flower) 420 mg **

* Eyebright herb daily value not established.

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Eyesight Rx with Eyebright
Supports Healthy Vision
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Vitamin C  (Ascorbic acid)
Citrus bioflavonoids (eriocitrin, hesperidin, flavonols, flavones, naringenin, flavonoids, and quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids (alpha carotene, astaxanthin, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, Zeaxanthin)
Bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Eyebright extract (Euphrasia officianales)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba)
Suma extract (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna pruriens extract (Cowhage)
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Lycium berry extract (Lycium Barbarum) - also known as Goji Berry
Alpha Lipoic Acid low dosage

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Historical uses of Eyebright herb - Benefit of Eyebright
Herbalists in the Middle Ages used eyebright herb, either by itself, or in combination with other herbs to relieve certain inflammatory eye problems. Perhaps the tannins in eyebright benefit in terms of anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately there is so little modern research done with eyebright to know its full benefit and side effects. Whether eyebright is of benefit for ocular allergy is still not known for sure.

Composition of Eyebright herb
Just like many plants, eyebright herb has flavonoids and some tannins.

Eyebright is sold in various extract potencies including 4:1 Flavonoids. Eyebright tea is also available.

Eyebright side effects
I cannot not find eyebright side effects listed in the medical literature. Although rare, an allergic reaction to eyebright herb is possible. Discuss with your doctor any eyebright side effects that seems unusual.

Composition of Eyebright species ( Euphrasia brevipila )
I am not sure how closely Euphrasia officinalis and Euphrasia brevipila are related. Substances in the latter include polysaccharides, iridoids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids, aucubin; chlorogenic, ferulic, and caffeic acids; apigenin; luteolin; diosmetin; cinaroside; and cosmosiin.

Eyebright Herb Research Update
Identification and determination of effective components in Euphrasia regelii by capillary zone electrophoresis.
Biomed Chromatogr. 2004 Dec;18(10):857-61.
A capillary zone electrophoresis method has been developed for simultaneous determination of eukovoside, cinnamic acid and ferulic acid in Euphrasia regelii for the first time. The electrophoresis buffer was 20 mmol/L sodium borate containing 10% (v/v) methanol (pH 8.50). The effects of concentration of borate and electrolyte pH on electrophoretic behavior and separation were studied. Regression equations revealed linear relationships (correlation coefficients 0.9995-0.9998) between the peak area of each analyte and the concentration. The levels of analytes in the different parts of Euphrasia regelii were easily determined with recoveries ranging from 95.5 to 104.2%.

In vitro cytotoxic effect of some medicinal plants containing flavonoids.
Boll Chim Farm. 1996 Apr;135(4):263-6.
Aqueous, ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck), Euphrasia officinalis ( eyebright herb )., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Matricaria recutita L., Rosa canina L. and Ruta graveolens L. have been studied. The cytotoxicity of the drugs assayed was evaluated "in vitro" by means of the dye test using cells of the Yoshida ascites sarcoma. The aqueous extract of Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck); the petroleum ether extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.; the ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of Rosa canina L. and the petroleum ether extract of Ruta graveolens L. showed a quite significative cytotoxic effect.

Eyebright emails
Q. What do you think of a blend echinacea eyebright herb combination product?
   A. I have not seen studies evaluating eyebright in immune function, although I am quite certain it has an influence since almost all herbs have some sort of influence on immune cells.

Q. Is herbal eyebright good for vision?
   A. There is some folklore that says eyebright improves vision, and it probably does so in a subtle way.

Q. Is there an advantage to eyebright tea versus eyebright herb in a capsule?
   A. Probably not that much. Eyebright tea may have the whole herb and some eyebright capsules may have extracts as opposed to the whole eyebright herb.