Homeopathic Remedy Euphrasia or Euphrasia Officinalis (euphr) is used in inflaming the conjunctiva, profuse lachrymation, inflammation of mucous membranes especially of eyes and nose, profuse acrid lachrymation, and bland coryza. It is available as a Mother tincture in the preparation of eye drop, 3x, 6c and 30c.
The name is derived from the Greek “Euphrosyne”. It is an important eye medicine as it helps in eyesight. It is a popular eyewash. It has a cleansing effect on the liver. It also acts as a stimulant. Cleansing action on the liver releases stores of Vitamin A in the blood. It further helps in the functioning of eyewash. It contains a volatile oil that contains tannin. It is known as Visionary Herbe.
Euphrasia Officinalis is a small delicate annual, 2-8 inches high. It has square, downy, and branching stems. The leaves vary in sharp e. They are round, sometimes narrow and pointed, and are always in opposite pairs. It has tiny red or white flowers (June- August) has an upper two-lobed lip and lower three-lobed lip and is borne in spikes from the axils of the upper leaves.
It is a semi parasitical plant. It attaches itself to underground suckers to the roots of neighboring grass plants and drains nutrients from them. In order to cultivate the plant, it must be given nurse plants on whose roots it can feed.
It is disturbed in waster places. It grows in sunny places among sparse bushes, on the edge of woods, and in heathlands, from the lowlands up to high mountain regions.
It is cultivated in North America. It is found wild in US Northwest and in British Columbia.
- Source: Vegetable Kingdom
- Botanical name: Euphrasia Officinalis Linn
- Genus name: Euphrasia
- Parts used: While fresh plant in flower. The whole fresh plant excluding the root is collected when in flower.
Description of the plant: It is a little plant growing in the meadows on the border of forests, all over Europe. The root is very small, hairy. The stem is rounded 5: 12 inch(125: 30 cm) in height. Its leaves are thick. Its flower is in a terminal spike. Fresh plant without the root taken during the flowering time.
Common names of Euphrasia Officinalis
- English: Eyebright.
- French: Euphraise.
- German: Augens rost (eye comfort), Zwang kraut
- French: Brise lunettes, Meadow Eyebright, Red Eyebright Frasia, Luminella, Ambrosia, Eufragia, Euphrasy, Adhib, Ewfras, Euphraise; Casselunette Augstenzieger, Wiesenaugetrost, Schabab, Hirnkraut, Weisses Ruhrkraut,
- Polish: Swietlik Lekarski
- Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Euphrasiae
- Family Scrophulariaceae (the snapdragon family).
Constituents: Iridoid glycosides, including aucubin; tannins, both condensed and hydrolyzable gallic acid types; Phenolic acids including caffeic and ferulic; volatile oil, about 0.017%; an unidentified alkaloid or base, sterols, amino acids, and choline.
Moisture content—fresh 84.6%, air-dried 7.8%;
Carbohydrates: sugars and starch.
This plant is native to Europe.
Habitat: It is seen in temperate Himalayas, Europe, and the summit of the White Mountain of New Hampshire, Lake Superior region, and the USA. This plant ranges from coastal Maine and the maritime provinces over the alpine summits of the White Mountains and Adirondacks. It is also found in Siberia, Russia, northern Europe, and across the northern Atlantic through coastal Iceland and Greenland.
Prover: Dr. Hahnemann.
It was introduced into medical literature in the works of the pioneering naturalist St. Hildegard but the herb was available to early Greek and Arab physicians like Dioscorides and Galen.
Main Seat of Action of Euphrasia Officinalis
- Digestive system: It cures conditions like constipation of long duration, hemorrhoids, and painless diarrhea.
- Respiratory system: It treats conditions like severe coryza, hoarseness resulting from coryza, difficulty in respiration.
- Urinary system: where it cures frequent urination.
- Sexual system: Where it treats all conditions related to menses.
Benefits of Euphrasia Officinalis (euphr)
- It works as an astringent, anti-inflammatory. It acts as an expectorant.
- It is bitter and has a cooling effect.
- It has antibacterial action due to volatile oils. It tightens the mucous membranes of the eye and hence helps the inflammation of conjunctivitis. It is important to remedy blepharitis.
- It is helpful in infectious and allergic conditions which occur in the eyes, middle ear, sinuses, and nasal passages.
- It is helpful in dry and stuffy congestion of the nose.
- It is important to remedy sinusitis and for those conditions which are related to catarrh.
- It is very useful in those conditions where there is a loss of elasticity of the nerve or mucous membrane. In these conditions, it will help to tighten them up to normal again.
- In research, it is seen that the cataracts of certain patients are reduced by the use of its eyewash.
- It has antiseptic properties and helps in fighting infection in the eyes.
- It helps to change one’s attitude to a more positive state.
- In stressful situations, it helps one to have a positive attitude in life and gives strength to perceive growth.
- It helps in memory and brings out clear thinking.
- It is very helpful in curing Hay fever.
Hay fever
Symptoms may appear from June to August. It may be due to grass pollens and get worse when the patient takes a walk-in park. It has some allergic symptoms which involve the eyes, nose, larynx, lungs, and sinuses. It can cause disturbance and dullness of thought.
Eyes are itchy and water profusely. The margins of the eyelid are often reddened and irritated. The patient avoids bright light. There is profuse discharge from the nose.
In severe cases, tickling of the larynx is seen, with wheezing and tightness of breath.
Cause of complaints are:
- From fall
- From injury
This medicine acts on some of the weaker areas of the body like:
- Eyes
- Teeth
- Ears
- Nose
- Upper and lower limb.
- Face
- Mouth
Symptoms get worse:
- After sleep
- During night
- In the morning
- From touch, the Patient does not want to be touched
- From moisture
- From damp weather or surroundings
The patient feels better:
- At night
- From being in darkness.
- Lying down
- When in bed
Indications of Euphrasia Officinalis (euphr)
Euphrasia is an acute remedy. The tears coming from the eye irritate the eye which causes redness and itching. The flow from the nose is bland and watery and causes no particular problem. Because of this eye will be glued shut in the morning. The margins of the eyes are red and swollen and burning. The patient will sneeze and sneeze upon awakening and often will also have a violent cough. The cough is so hard in the morning that it is difficult to remove and in order to bring up mucus, a patient will vomit up his breakfast.
- Allergies
- Cold
- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Dimmed vision
- Eye injuries.
- Hay fever
- Headache
- Iritis
- Measles
- Prostatitis
Watering of the eye is the most important indication of this remedy. The eyes will water all the time. The eye condition is associated with headaches.
The headache will be the bursting quality with a sensation of dazzling of the eyes from sunlight.
It is a good remedy for measles and influenza where the patient has watering from the eyes especially in cold air and windy weather.
It is given to a patient who has a red face and his lips are stiff as if made of wood. The patient takes cold very easily.
A patient has a loss of appetite. He feels nausea and vomiting soon after eating.
He generally takes raw onion. He avoids certain food items like milk, meat, and fish.
The tongue of a patient is raw and red in color.
It is given to a patient when cold weather and wind cause an increase in the discharge from the eyes.
It is given when a patient has difficulty in sleeping due to red-eye. So, he feels sleepy during the day.
He has dreams of ghosts and the dark.
It is given when a patient has pain in the front part of the head in the evening with coryza. The patient has a violent beating headache. He feels as if his head would burst. It is given in headache with profuse watery discharge from eyes and nose. It is given in cases where the eyes are sensitive to light. His vision is dim. He feels as seeing through a veil. It is also given when a patient has dry pressure in the eyes as if sleepy.
It is given in when there is increased secretion from eyes with burning and swelling of lids,
especially of left eyes. It can cure itching and burn in the eyes. It has a sensation as if dust or sand were in the eyes. It is given when a patient has pressure and tension in the eyes. It is given in cases of acute ulcers of the cornea with symptoms like profuse irritating discharge from the eyes. It has been very successfully used in ulcers, both superficial and deep, and for the removal of obscuration and opacities of all grades.
It is given for fever is not of a high grade and chilliness predominates.
It is a very useful remedy in acute coryza when there is increased secretion of water and later on this secretion changes in pus-related discharge.
This is an important remedy for the difficulty in respiration.
It is a very good remedy for constipation increased when stools are like large balls. Stools are dry, hard, and passed with great difficulty. It causes tearing of the anus.
It is given for increased urination when urine is copious and too often.
It is given to ladies who have menses lasting only one day, but regular in occurrence.
It is also given for hoarseness related to coryza which is seen in the morning. This hoarseness impels the patient to cough. The patient has abundant mucous secretion with a loose cough.
The patient has no cough at night. As soon as he rises from bed cough begins. This cough is continuous that it is difficult for him to take a breath. Cough gets worse from the smoke.
The patient has excessive eye secretion from the eyes during cough. Cough is seen only in the daytime.
It also cured conditions where there is paralysis of the third pair of nerves which cause ptosis. Ptosis is caused by catching a cold.
Dosage of Euphrasia Officinalis (euphr)
- In cases of allergy, potencies of 6C to 12C are most common.
- The potency of 30 C is most common for cases of colds.
- This remedy acts better when it is given just after eating.
Precaution
This remedy should not be taken in the morning and evening, as all symptoms are getting worse during this time. This remedy should never be taken with medicines like camphor and Pulsatilla.