Euphrasia officinalis

Euphrasia officinalis, also known as eyebright or eyewort, is a species of plant in the family Orobanchaceae. Euphrasia officinalis herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea, or externally as compresses, for treatment of disorders of the eyes and the gastrointestinal tract. A preliminary study demonstrated protective effects of Euphrasia officinalis against UVB-induced photoaging. Synonyms of E. officinalis include E. rostkoviana (named after Prussian botanist Friedrich Wilhelm Gottlieb Rostkovius) and E. fennica.

Description

An annual herb with an upright stem. It can grow 25 cm tall. The leaves are rounded and have teeth. They are less than 1 cm across. The flowers are small and white. They often have purple veins and a yellow throat. They have a 3 lobed lower lip.

Edible Uses

The leaves can be eaten raw and are occasionally added to salads, where they contribute a slightly bitter flavour.

Traditional Uses

It has been used to spice soup.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Eyebright has a long history of herbal use for eye complaints and remains in current use. It is important that only forms with glandular hairs on the calyx are used, as other forms lack medicinal virtue. The plant tightens the mucous membranes of the eye and appears to relieve the inflammation of conjunctivitis and blepharitis. Its ability to counter catarrh makes it useful for infectious and allergic conditions affecting the eyes, middle ear, sinuses, and nasal passages. The whole plant is anti-inflammatory, astringent, digestive, ophthalmic, and mildly tonic. Taken internally it is used for catarrh, sinusitis, hay fever, and upper respiratory tract infections. As an ophthalmic, an infusion can be taken by mouth or used as an eye wash; alternatively, the diluted juice can be dropped directly into the eyes. Some caution is warranted, as it has experimentally been shown to cause side effects including dim vision. The plant's astringency makes it unsuitable for treating dry or stuffy congestion. Applied externally as a poultice, it can assist wound healing. Eyebright should be harvested in flower and may be dried for later use. The dried herb is an ingredient in herbal smoking mixtures used for chronic bronchial colds. A homeopathic remedy made from the expressed juice of the plant is used particularly for eye inflammations and colds.

Known Hazards

Use for eye conditions currently not recommended. Adverse effects include: mental confusion, headaches, eye pressure, redness and swelling of the eye if 10-60 lotion drops used. Eye symptoms possibly followed by sensitivity to light, sneezing, nausea, constipation, cough, shortness of breath and increased passing of urine.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in alpine meadows.

Where It Grows

Asia, Balkans, Britain, Canada, Europe*, India, Macedonia, North America, Siberia, Spain, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils, preferring chalk or limestone. Eyebright is a semi-parasitic plant, growing on the roots of various species of grass and also on Trifolium pratense and Plantago species. 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. 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. Only those forms of eyebright which have glandular hairs on the calyx possess medicinal qualities. It hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

Propagation

Sow seed outdoors in situ in early spring, amongst grass in a moist but not marshy soil.

Other Uses

No uses are known.

Notes

There are about 200 - 450 Euphrasia species. They are partly parasitic on other plants. It is used in medicine.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Casse Lunette, Meadow eyebright

References (8)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 215
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 250
• Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 210
• Esperanca, M. J., 1988. Surviving in the wild. A glance at the wild plants and their uses. Vol. 1. p 342
• Getreue Darstell. Gew. 9: t. 7. 1825 type includes E. rostkoviana and E. stricta; Sell and Yeo selected the specimen of E. rostkoviana as lectotype and rejected the name

More from Scrophulariaceae

Pseudolysimachion linariifolium subsp. dilatatum

Shui man jing

Scrophularia auriculata

Bishop's leaves, Water-betony, Water figwort

Scrophularia frigida

Scrophularia nodosa

Knotted Figwort, Common figwort

Scrophularia umbrosa

Water betony

Siphonostegia chinensis

Chi-jou-ts'ai