Natural Herbal Beauty

BORAGE(Borago officinalis)

Borage tea, 60 ml (¹/4 cup) herb to 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water, can be used as a wash for sores, scratches and spots. Taken internally, it is a wonderful cleanser and helps the body produce its own cortisone. It can be used as an eyewash and as a compress - dip cotton-wool into the tea and apply to the temples for stress and tension headaches. (more…)

The first resort whenever eye symptoms arise should be to consult an eye doctor. However, there are suitable home remedies for less serious eye problems such as eyestrain.

Eyes Strain

A few simple exercises can help relieve eyestrain. First, blink rapidly, then follow by “palming” the eyes. To “palm,” sit comfortably, rub your hands together vigorously to generate heat, and place them over the eyes. Hold them there for several minutes. (more…)

Headaches (and to a lesser extent, migraines) are a widely experienced form of pain and the most common type of “referred pain.” This means that although a pain in the head can obviously result from a bang on the skull, the more usual cause of a headache is a problem elsewhere in the body. Muscle tension in the neck and shoulders, for example, or in the case of migraine, an (illogic response to food are frequently to blame. (more…)

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. (more…)

EYE WASH: Add 1 teaspoon of eyebright to 1 cup boiling water. Let steep 15 minutes. Strain well and cool. Use this as an eye wash. Fennel, elder flowers, or verbena can also be used. Helps tired eyes and eye strain. Very helpful when conjunctivitis is present.

EYE WASH: Mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 /4 cup of hot water. Cool the mixture slightly and use with eye cup for gentle wash.

BLOODSHOT EYES: Apply a few drops of castor oil to the eyes to clear the redness from them.

INFLAMED EYES: Pour 1 cup boiling water over 2 tablespoons of yarrow flowers. Steep for 10 minutes. Strain and dip clean cloth in liquid and apply to eyes as a compress. (more…)

As its name suggests, eyebright is the herbalist’s treatment of choice for all eye disorders. Taken internally, it is traditionally believed capable of maintaining healthy eyes and good vision. Externally, eyebright is used as a mild eyewash with antiseptic properties. It is valuable for preventing the constant and annoying watering of weak eyes and helps relieve eyes that are particularly sensitive to light. Eyebright can quickly eliminate discomfort arising from conjunctivitis, blepharitis, eyestrain, inflammation,sties, or minor irritation. (more…)