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Eyebright Herb
(Euphrasia officinalis)
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Eyewort;[2] Augentrostkraut, Euphrasiae herba, Herba Euphrasiae and Herbe d'Euphraise.[2] The name Euphrasia literally meaning 'good-cheer'[2]
Ethnobotany: Native Americans and other cultures used the dried flowering tops of the Eyebright herb are used for various eye conditions, even black eyes and styes. It also has a history of use for hay fever. It produces tannins.[1] It is widely used in used in traditional medicine for treating hay fever, sinusitis and other upper respiratory tract infections, and as an eye salve to treat and prevent infectious and non-infectious eye disorders (like: conjunctivitis, ophthalmia, ocular allergies, eye fatigue, cataract, glaucoma, corneal ulcers)[5]
Classification: Annual;[3]
Plant Family: Orobanchaceae[2] Genus: Rhinantheae;[2] Species: Euphrasia O.[2]
Mixes well with: Based on the research, it should blend well with Lemon balm and Gotu-kola, as well as Mullein. I will be trying that for sure really soon. This project is as much about my own personal quest for learning about medicine as it is informing the public. I take the professional nature of this site very seriously and have been going out of my way to be on top with the citations and sourcing.
OG Observations: This doesn't seem to be a very popular common herbal in the west. I want to make it that way. I was surprised to learn that this plant was used for memory too. It's something I want to incorporate into my herbal stash. Another observation: caffeic acid is also produced by the Damiana species. A lot of phytochemicals(most) are recurring throughout nature, meaning that they can be found(produced by) multiple plants. Some phytochemicals however, are specific to specific species, like how ibogaine is specific the Tabernanthe iboga species for example. (Ibogaine is illegal in the United States)
Related Ethnobotanicals: Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Phytochemicals:
It produces: phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, iridoids, flavonoids, and iridoids. These God-made phytochemicals contribute to its pharmacological properties.[4] Interesting fact: tannins, iridoids, and flavonoids, are compounds known to enhance memory and cognition[4]. Eyebright produces catechin, ferulic acid, caffeic acid(is also found in Damiana), 7-hydroxyflavanone, 4′-methoxyflavanone, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, ethyl gallate, dihydrocaffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and myricetin-3-O-galactoside.[4] Studies show that extracts of the Eyebright herb that are high in these phytochemical components "demonstrated a noteworthy capacity for scavenging free radicals".[4]What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemistry is a fascinating branch of science that unites with ethnobotany to help discover new pharmacological medicines never before known. It's the specific branch of chemistry that deals solely with God-made chemical components of herbal remedies used by indigenous cultures like the Native Americans, shamans, or Moses even(he used frankincense, myrrh, and other botanicals as well).Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties:
It's good for fighting memory loss according to one academic source.[4] It also has scientifically proven neuroprotective properties![4] Scientist are becoming more and more interested in studying Eyebright for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease[4] It's also used in treating conjunctivitis.[4] Eyebright has: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, antihyperglycemic, anti-catarrhal, anti-cholinesterase, anti-neurotoxic, and antiaging effects.[4] Believe it or not: Eyebright has been used in folk medicine to address memory-related issues![4] Studies conclude that Eyebright also produces astringent properties.[5]Buy Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)
Academic citations:
[4] Ververis, Antonis, et al. "Chemical Characterization and Assessment of the Neuroprotective Potential of Euphrasia officinalis." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25.23 (2024): 12902.
[5] Benedec, Daniela, et al. "Revealing the Phenolic Composition and the Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activities of Two Euphrasia sp. Extracts." Plants 13.13 (2024): 1790.
[1] Robbers, James E, et al. Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[2] Wikipedia contributors. (2024, January 27). Euphrasia officinalis. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:11, December 7, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euphrasia_officinalis&oldid=1199751227
[3] Plants For A Future Archive
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov