Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Euphrasia officinalis
Family: Orobanchaceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Slightly bitter, astringent, slightly salty
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Drying

On temperature, Gerard (1633), Culpeper (1653) and Salmon (1710) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Internal use generally considered safe in moderation; avoid eye washes without sterile preparation

While breastfeeding

Internal moderate use likely compatible during breastfeeding; topical eye use applies to mother only.

For children

Safe for children internally (infusion); eye washes only with sterile prep

Cautions

EXTERNAL USE (eye washes) must be STERILE — use professionally prepared/filtered preparations only; contaminated preparations can cause serious eye infection

General contraindications

Closed-angle glaucoma (topical — precaution); contact lens wearers (remove first)

Stewardship

Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) is partly hemiparasitic on grasses; difficult to cultivate. Wild sustainable-harvest is the norm where abundant. Stewardship: teach the hemiparasitic ecology as example of plant interdependence.

In the traditional record

Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) — recorded in medieval European herbalism by Hildegard von Bingen and Nicholas Culpeper as a primary remedy for the eyes (its name from the Greek euphrasia, "gladness"); long used under the doctrine of signatures for ophthalmic complaints, conjunctivitis, and catarrhal afflictions of the upper respiratory tract.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.