Herbs have a long history of use in treating eye and ear problems: before the days of universally available hearing aids and spectacles, itinerant herb doctors would often specialise in eyes or ears and travel the countryside treating patients with brews designed to improve sight or hearing rather than simply alleviate the sort of minor ailments we would treat in this way today.

Old herbals are full of remedies — the vast majority unproven — for restoring sight to the blind and curing tinnitus or deafness. Some, such as the legend about greater celandine seeds restoring sight to blind swallows, go back to ancient times and were once very widely used. Other remedies we now know do have a relevance: eating carrots certainly has a role in improving night vision, since Vitamin A is needed to maintain the relevant components in the retina.

In Chinese theory the eyes are associated with the liver and the ears with the kidneys. They are links which one can well understand: excess alcohol, for example, usually leads to an overworked liver and sluggish, bleary eyes. Traditionally, too, the kidney is the home of the body’s “reproductive energy” which inevitably runs down as we reach middle age and the menopause. As we get older hearing problems become more commonplace so, again, it is understandable how these connections were first formulated.

Herbal BeautyThis traditional approach can be effective: in China, for example, chrysanthemums are used to treat various liver complaints and are also recommended for eye weaknesses, while herbs which warm the kidneys — such as buchu and cinnamon — can be usefully added to remedies for earache and other weaknesses.

For home use, however, it is best to limit the use of herbal remedies to minor, self-limiting conditions: eyes and ears are sensitive and precious and using impure or crude remedies can do more harm than good.

Eye Herbs Healing

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid which can be caused by an allergic reaction to cosmetics and is often accompanied by white scales on the lashes. In chronic cases the eyelid can become ulcerated with a yellow crust, the eyelashes are often matted and may fall out. Use eye-baths made by decocting marigold petals and then thoroughly straining the mixture (to ensure that it is sterile and clean). Allow the decoction to cool thoroughly and then bathe the eye every few hours.

Conjunctivitis, also known as red eye, is an inflammation of the fine membrane (conjunctiva) covering the eyeball. Sufferers usually complain of severe pain, watering and a “gritty feeling” on blinking. Again, a well-strained decoction of marigold is normally recommended for use as an eye-bath, but decoctions of herb Robert or toadflax can be used in similar ways.

Styes are an acute inflammation of a gland at the base of an eyelash usually caused by bacterial infection. They can indicate lowered resistance due to stress, overwork or repeated infection. A little marigold cream or tea tree cream can be applied to the site of infection, but take great care not to smudge the creams into the eye itself as they can sting. Alternatively, use the same sorts of astringent and antiseptic decoctions suggested for conjunctivitis. Taking garlic or echinacea internally can help combat the infection and improve immunity.

Tired eyes: We’ve all suffered from sore, tired eyes after too much reading or too much time spent in a highly polluted atmosphere: close the eyes and cover with slices of cucumber or used tea-bags of green tea or chamomile.

Ear Herbs Healing

Earache is common, extremely painful and distressing (especially in children) and needs great care in treating as infection can lead to perforated eardrums and the risk of permanent hearing damage. The cause is usually an acute local infection, which can be related to sinus or catarrhal problems, and use of anti-catarrhals and suitable steam inhalants can help. If there is any discharge or possibility that the ear drum has burst then seek immediate medical help. For minor cases ear drops using infused oils of mullein (Verbascum thapsus) or St John’s wort flowers are safe for home use. Put a few drops in the ear and then insert a cotton-wool plug. Repeat three or four times a day as needed. Massaging the mastoid bone (behind the ear) with antiseptic oils such as lavender and tea tree can also help. A traditional cure was to insert the heart of a freshly boiled onion into the ear — a suitably hot and ideally shaped healing poultice if nothing else is available.

Glue ear is common in children and involves an inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media) with a build-up of fluid leading to deafness. It is often associated with food allergy and can improve significantly if the sufferer tries a milk-free diet. Orthodox treatment usually involves surgery to insert grommets into the eardrum to relieve the fluid pressure; these generally have to be replaced after a few months as they tend to fall out. Anti-catarrhals such as golden seal and ribwort plantain taken internally can often help.

Tinnitus — an irritating whistling and rattling sound affecting one or both ears — can be caused by nerve damage (common in those who work in noisy environments) or labyrinth disorders like Ménières disease. Some argue it is associated with stress, anger and psychological problems and will disappear once sufferers learn to relax and solve their emotional disturbances. This can sometimes be true, especially where there is no apparent pathological cause, but in cases involving nerve damage is generally not so. Some suggest that the noise is related to the sound of blood flow around the ears and ginkgo has been variously reported to help the problem by improving cerebral circulation. Wood betony has similar properties. These remedies can be worth trying, as can Chinese kidney tonics such as cinnamon or even the traditional cures of drinking plenty of beetroot juice and eating leeks: occasionally the result is significant improvement — but tinnitus is a stubborn condition and there is often no easy solution.

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Eyes and Ears, improve Sight or Hearing, Old Herbals are full of Remedies