One of my kiddos woke up recently with a swollen, red, itchy eye.
As a nurse and herbalist, my first step is not to head to the doctor but to search my herbal apothecary for something that will meet our needs. Namely, something that will counter an infection if there is one, ease any pain, itching, and inflammation present, and something that will encourage the eye to heal itself.
However, if heading to the doctor for an official medical diagnosis is important to you, all power to you. If it is an infection, you will likely walk away with a prescription for antibiotic drops.
For those of you who prefer to avoid antibiotics when possible, or for situations where you’re unsure if you actually have an infection, herbs can be a great ally.
For potential eye infections, my go-to botanical is chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) — a classic herb used to ease inflammation, counter bacteria, soothe itching and pain, and speed up healing.
Today, I’m sharing some basic symptoms of eye infections with you and my go-to method for making and using a chamomile eye wash for support. Not only that, but I’m sharing a list of additional stronger herbs I use if the eye isn’t improving after 24 hours.
Symptoms of an Eye Infection
Now if you’re ever wondering if you have an eye infection, below are some of the most common symptoms of an eye infection.
- Redness
- Itching
- Excess watering ore tearing
- Discharge
- Crust (from discharge) around the edges of the eye
- Swelling (usually of the skin around the eye)
- Sensitivity to light
- A feeling of grittiness in the eye
- Blurred vision
While most eye infections don’t require antibiotics, as the eye most often recovers without complications, herbs can help speed up recovery time. It’s also important to know that many of these symptoms can be found in irritated or inflamed eyes and don’t always indicate an infection.
Chamomile to the Rescue
If you find yourself or a loved one with an irritated eye, chamomile is a great herb to call upon for help.
Chamomile is plentiful during the summer months. It’s a prolific herb that grows as a ground cover. You can easily dig up a small area of soil, rake it free of clumps of grass, scatter chamomile seed in early spring, moisten it, and that’s it. By summer, you’ll have your very own chamomile patch! In fact, chamomile is such an easy herb to grow that you can probably disturb some soil, sprinkle on the seed, moisten it, and let it grow!
Chamomile is great for possible eye infections because it has the following herbal actions:
- Inflammation modulating (eases swelling and inflammation)
- Cicatrisant (promotes wound healing and tissue repair)
- Vulnerary (helps heal and soothe wounds and skin irritation)
- Immunomodulatory (enhancing immune function)
As you can see, several actions make chamomile a suitable herbal ally for an eye infection, and my favorite way to use it for this condition is as an eye wash.
How to Make a Chamomile Eye Wash
The power of chamomile’s actions primarily lies in its high volatile oil content. One way volatile oils are extracted from plant matter is through hot water, so making a strong eye wash with chamomile flower is a great way to get plenty of the beneficial properties from this herb.
I like to make a strong infusion and use it for 12 hours before composting it and starting a new batch. Here’s how I do it.
Chamomile Eye Wash
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp chamomile flowers
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 4 fl oz hot water
Directions:
- Combine herbs, salt, and hot water in a heat-safe mug. Cover with a lid or plate and let this sit until the liquid has cooled to room temperature.
- Double strain the mixture. Begin by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid in a clean glass jar, and then again by pouring it through the sieve lined with an unbleached coffee filter.
- Reserve liquid in a clean glass jar and use it within 12 hours.
- I like adding 3 to 4 drops to the affected eye every 2 hours. Tilt the head back, drop the drops into the corner of the eye, and have the person blink their eye a few times to help spread the liquid around. Dab the excess liquid from the eye with a tissue (be sure to throw it away and avoid cross-contamination) and repeat every 2 hours.
If the eye hasn’t improved in 24 hours, I add additional herbs with stronger microbial properties, such as yarrow (Achillea millefolium) flower, echinacea (Echinacea spp.) root, sustainably harvested goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) root powder (or osha (Berberis aquifolium) root powder), or chaparral (Larrea tridentata) and continue for another 24 hours or so.
God has provided us with plants to use for food and wellness, as well as the knowledge to learn how to use them, and I hope you’ve found the information in this post helpful if you ever come across an inflamed, irritated, or infected eye.
Love and light,
Meagan
PS. Have questions about anything you’ve read? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below; I’ll answer them as soon as possible.