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Euphrasia officinalis
| Common name: |
Eyebright |
Family: |
Scrophulariaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Euphrasia rostkoviana (Hayne.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
W. Europe, including Britain, to E. Asia. |
| Habitat: |
Moist grassland and chalky pastures, semi-parasitic on grass[4, 7]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| E. americana[B]
E. americana auct.[P]
E. arctica ssp. borealis[B,P]
E. borealis[B,P]
E. brevipila[B,P]
E. canadensis[B]
E. canadensis auct. non[P]
E. condensata[B,P]
E. curta[B]
E. curta auct. non[P]
E. nemorosa[B,L,P]
E. officinalis sensu lato[H]
E. pectinata[B]
E. rigidula[B,P]
E. stricta[B,G,HPIC,Mh,P]
E. tatarica[B]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Common Eyebright [P,B,L], Drug Eyebright [P,B], Eufragia [E], Eufrasia [E], Euphrasia [H], Eyebright [H,P], Glossy Eyebright [MS], Gozlukotu [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
officinalis = sold as an herb;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Scrophulariales. Figwort family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Europe; India; Spain; Turkey
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.15m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Lawn.Edible Uses
Leaves.
Leaves - raw[7]. They are occasionally used in salads for their
slightly bitter flavour[7].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiinflammatory; Astringent; Digestive; Homeopathy; Ophthalmic; Tonic.
Eyebright has a long history of herbal use in the treatment of eye
problems and is still in current herbal use[4]. It is important that only the
correct forms of eyebright, with glandular hairs on the calyx, are used,
since other forms do not possess medicinal virtues[268]. Eyebright tightens
the mucous membranes of the eye and appears to relieve the inflammation of
conjunctivitis and blepharitis[254]. Its ability to counter catarrh means
that it is often used for infectious and allergic conditions affecting the
eyes, middle ear, sinuses and nasal passages[254].
The whole plant is anti-inflammatory, astringent, digestive, ophthalmic and
slightly tonic[[4, 7, 9, 14, 165, 220]. It is taken internally in the
treatment of catarrh, sinusitis, hay fever, upper respiratory tract
infections etc[238]. As an ophthalmic, an infusion of the plant can be taken
internally or used as an eye wash. Alternatively, the diluted juice can be
dropped into the eyes[232]. Some caution should be exercised, experimentally
it can induce side effects including dim vision[222]. The plant's astringency
makes it inappropriate for treating dry or stuffy congestion[254]. The plant
can be used externally as a poultice to aid the healing of wounds[268].
Eyebright should be harvested when in flower and can be dried for later
use[238].
The dried herb is a ingredient of herbal smoking mixtures, used in the
treatment of chronic bronchial colds[4].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the expressed juice of the plant[232]. It
is used particularly in the treatment of eye inflammations and colds[7, 232]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
Succeeds in most soils, preferring chalk or limestone[200]. Eyebright
is a semi-parasitic plant, growing on the roots of various species of
grass[4] and also on Trifolium pratense and Plantago species[238]. 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[4].
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[1, 50]. Only those forms of eyebright which have
glandular hairs on the calyx possess medicinal qualities[268]. It hybridizes
freely with other members of this genus[200].
Propagation
Sow the seed outdoors in situ in early spring amongst grass in a moist
but not marshy soil[1].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Euphrasia nemorosa (a possible synonym).
References for Euphrasia officinalis sensu lato (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Euphrasia rostkoviana (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
References for Euphrasia stricta (a possible synonym).
References for euphrasia stricta (a possible synonym).
References for the family Scrophulariaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[220] Stapleton. C. Bamboos of Nepal The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1994 ISBN 0947643680
An excelllent little booklet that looks in some detail at the native bamboos of Nepal, including looking at their uses.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Euphrasia+officinalis
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