Protecting our vision is a priority for many of us. And there’s evidence that some herbs may help. Here’s our pick of the 7 best herbal teas for eye health.
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Our increasingly digital world means that many of us experience eye strain regularly. Spending a lot of time looking at screens can leave our eyes feeling tired, puffy, and blurry.
Of course, we all know that our eyesight is also likely to get worse as we age. The lenses of our eyes become less flexible, making it harder to focus on objects that are closer to us. It’s why many people find they need reading glasses as they get older.
As well as increasing long-sightedness, age can leave us more prone to eye issues like dry eyes, floaters, and cataracts. The symptoms of glaucoma also tend to appear later in life.
If we want to keep our eyes healthy for the long term, one of the best things we can do is get regular eye tests, especially after the age of forty.
There are also lifestyle changes that can help to maintain our eye health. Reducing screen time, wearing sunglasses outdoors, and managing our weight and blood pressure can all help to lower the risk of developing eye problems.
In addition, some herbal teas are thought to help keep the eyes healthy and to reduce the symptoms of common eye issues. Here’s our list of the seven best herbal teas for eye health.
1. Eyebright
As the name implies, eyebright is one of the best-known herbs for supporting eye health. It’s been used since ancient times to improve eyesight and keep our eyes healthy.
Eyebright is used mainly to treat eye irritation, dryness, and infections like conjunctivitis. It is both antimicrobial and high in antioxidants, a combination that makes it ideal for soothing eye issues. It can even be used to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.
2. Green Tea
Green tea is well-known as a powerhouse of antioxidants, with many benefits for our health. It seems that this includes our eyes – the catechins from green tea can reach our eye tissue, helping to protect against damage.
In particular, green tea has shown promise for reducing intraocular pressure – pressure in our eyes caused by the build-up of aqueous humour. Long term, increased intraocular pressure can lead to damage to the optic nerve, causing a condition called glaucoma that can result in loss of eyesight.
So, drinking green tea regularly may help to regulate intraocular pressure, helping us avoid issues in the future.
3. Bilberry
Another popular herbal remedy for the eyes is bilberry. A cousin of the blueberry, this small fruit contains high levels of a flavonoid called anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that has shown potential in reducing the risk of developing many chronic diseases.
When it comes to our eyes, bilberry has many benefits. Research indicates that it is effective in alleviating eye strain, soothing dry eyes, improving night vision, and helping to prevent cataracts and glaucoma.
4. NutraVision
Eyebright, green tea, and bilberry are all great herbs for eye health in their own right. But, at NutraTea, we prefer to combine herbs to create herbal tea blends targeted at different areas of our health.
NutraVision is our premium blend specifically designed to support eye health. It contains eyebright, green tea, and bilberry, as well as kiwi and orange pepper – both of which contain antioxidants to help protect our eyes from damage.
5. Ginkgo Biloba
One of the most significant herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Gingko Biloba is packed with antioxidants that help to protect our health. It is thought to be especially good for our circulation, helping to increase blood flow – including to our eyes. It is also an anti-inflammatory.
By increasing blood flow to our retinas, Ginkgo Biloba has shown potential for slowing or preventing the degeneration of our eye health. It may also be effective against glaucoma, although research is ongoing.
You can find Gingko Biloba alongside green tea and other anti-inflammatory herbs in our NutraBone blend.
6. Nettle
Nettle tea is a great dietary source of many of the compounds our eyes need to stay healthy. It contains high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A, which are both crucial to eye health.
These are the same nutrients that make carrots so famously good for your eyesight. While they won’t necessarily give you the ability to see in the dark, beta-carotene and vitamin A are both essential to the healthy functioning of our corneas.
Like Gingko Biloba and green tea, nettle is one of the ingredients in our NutraBone blend.
7. Dandelion
Like nettle, dandelion contains nutrients which help our eyes to function properly. For example, dandelions are a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin – two antioxidants that are found in concentrated amounts in the macular region at the back of our eyes.
These two compounds help to protect our eyes against degenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They also assist with blocking blue light, helping to prevent eye damage and strain from too much time on screens.
We use dandelion in several of our teas, including NutraTrim, which is aimed at helping you maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Since diabetes can increase our risk of developing eye issues, controlling our blood sugar through diet is another way to protect our eye health.
