The Top 5 Best Herbs for Your Eye Health
Herbs are some of the healthiest things you can eat. Whether powdered, extracted, infused, or packed into supplements, herbs promise many health benefits. Some of these benefits extend to the eyes as well.
If you suffer from an eye condition such as dry eyes or simply want to preserve your vision, herbs may help. They are full of nature’s wisdom, and science supports many of their eye health benefits.
In this post, we’ll look at some of the best herbs for eyes, including herbs for dry eyes and herbs for blurred vision.
1. Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)
Eyebright is one of the most mentioned herbs for eyesight. In fact, it gets its name from its traditional use in treating eye problems.
According to studies, eyebright may help control inflammation in the cornea, the transparent layer of cells that covers the front of the eye. It may also protect this part of the eye from UV damage from the sun.
Another study found that when administered as eye drops together with rose extracts, eyebright can relieve redness, burning, and swelling caused by eye inflammation. This potentially makes eyebright one of the best herbs for eyes that are strained, infected, or inflamed.
2. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
The Vaccinium myrtillus herb is rich in antioxidants and especially in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid. Anthocyanins may reduce eye fatigue and protect your eyes from oxidative stress.
Also found in blueberries and other purple fruits and vegetables, anthocyanins may also reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
So, should you eat bilberry for eyesight? Like blueberries and other Vaccinium plants, bilberry could be one of the healthiest herbs for dry eyes.
3. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion is so common that it’s easy to overlook. But it’s long been used in traditional medicine as a healing herb for a variety of ailments. As it turns out, dandelion is also one of the most promising herbs for eye health.
More than having anti-inflammatory properties, dandelion is rich in vitamins A and C, which are crucial for eye health. It has beta-carotene, an antioxidant that can protect the eyes from free radicals resulting from natural cellular processes.
It also has polyphenols, which help keep blood pressure in check and reduce chronic inflammation.
High blood pressure can cause hypertensive retinopathy, a condition that damages blood vessels in the eye and cause blurriness. If you’re looking for herbs for blurred vision, dandelion could be one of them.
4. Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
Curcuma longa, an herbaceous perennial, may be one of the best herbs for cataracts. It grows tuberous roots from which turmeric powder is made.
Turmeric has the powerful antioxidant curcumin. Animal studies have shown that curcumin can protect against the formation of cataracts.
Curcumin can also help manage inflammatory and degenerative eye diseases and has a host of other health benefits.
You can use turmeric as a spice, drink it as tea, take it in supplement form, or make golden milk from it.
5. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Ginkgo biloba is not actually an herb but the leaf extract of the tree with the same name. However, it often gets mentioned alongside other herbs, so we thought we may as well include it in our list.
Ginkgo has powerful antioxidants that may help fight inflammation. A review article found that some patients with age-related macular degeneration reported better vision after taking ginkgo extract.
Ginkgo biloba may also be one of the best herbs for eyesight improvement in people with glaucoma. A 2012 study found that Gingko biloba and anthocyanin extracts can improve vision for people with normal tension glaucoma.
Other Herbs for Eye Health
Many other plants may help support healthy vision thanks to their antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Some of these plants play a role in Ayurvedic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Other herbs for eye health you may want to try include:
- Coleus (Coleus forskohlii)
- Wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius)
- Dwarf lilyturf (Ophiopogon japonicus)
- Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata)
- Green tea plant (Camellia sinensis)
These herbs for eyesight don’t miraculously cure eye diseases. But they may have notable effects on eye health that make them worth trying.
Keeping Your Eyes Healthy
One of the easiest ways to enjoy the properties of herbs for eye health is by taking them as a supplement. Not only does this make them easy to consume, but it helps you avoid overdosing. Also, supplements can contain herbs in a more concentrated form than teas.
SightC from Sightsage is a full-spectrum vision supplement that fuses superfoods such as goji berries and turmeric with Cherokee rose, dandelion, dwarf lilyturf, and other plants.
SightC is loaded with antioxidants and naturally occurring lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. These key ingredients help support vision in the digital age. And since it’s plant-based, sugar-free, and doesn’t have any artificial flavors, you don’t have to worry about extra calories, tooth decay, or additives.
Discover SightC.
