| |  | | Herbs for Glaucoma?
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Tim
Posted on: August 27, 2004
I have glaucoma and am legally blind as a result of this. Can you recommend a herb to help? I was using eyebright but can no longer get it in raw form.
Herbs and nutrition can stabilize the condition, but it is important to keep in regular contact with your medical doctor. The common surgical technique is to draw fluid from the iris to relieve the pressure. For information on nutrition for your eyes, please see our web site at www.richters.com. Choose "Q&A" from the main menu, then enter "Glaucoma" for the search.
In addition, Thomas Bartram, in "Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine" (available at Richters) lists the following:
- a tea made from equal parts of fresh or dried stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), calendula and horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Add 2 teaspoons of this mixture to a cup of boiling water and steep in a covered cup or teapot for 15 minutes. One half to one cup, three times daily.
- Common practice in France was to douche the eye with diluted lemon juice, probably because the vitamin C helps to draw away fluid
- Bilberry extract (blueberries are similar and are helpful both fresh and frozen, one cup or more daily)
Gingko biloba extract is known to increases blood circulation to the eyes. Recent studies show that Ginkgo biloba extract, taken long term, reduces vision loss. Ask your health food store for a good brand of the standardized extract form of this herb.
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