Eyebright
Euphrasia officinalis
Botanical family: Orobanchaceae
A small annual plant of dry lawns, a semi-parasite that draws part of its sap from the roots of neighbouring grasses. An eye herb in herbal tradition (its English name means 'clear eye').
Full sun
Poor, dry (lean meadows)
Moderate
Hardy (semi-parasitic annual)
Sown in autumn, overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
A small annual of poor meadows, a semi-parasite of grasses (difficult to cultivate). A traditional medicinal for eye comfort.
Companions
No companion planting is documented for this plant: no recommended neighbour, no neighbour to avoid.
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
The whole plant is gathered in flower, in summer.
Available: July, August, September.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- Plants For A Future, « Euphrasia officinalis » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Euphrasia+officinalis)
- Tela Botanica, « Euphrasia officinalis L. » (tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-75464-description)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
Eye use: strict hygiene essential (a sterile preparation); an eye disorder is a matter for medical advice, never for self-medication.
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Renaissance herbalists (theory of signatures) and John Milton · Europe, 16th–17th centuries
The name Euphrasia derives from the Greek euphrosyne, 'joy, gladness', and the plant was reputed to 'gladden the eye'. This ocular reputation stems from the theory of signatures: the purple and yellow spots of the flower evoking a sick eye, the Renaissance herbalists deduced that it healed the eyes. Milton names it in Paradise Lost (book XI, v. ~414), where the archangel Michael purges Adam's optic nerve 'with euphrasy and rue'. The literary fact is attested; the reasoning of signatures, for its part, belongs to an ancient belief and not to proof of efficacy.
John Milton, Paradise Lost, livre XI (v. ~414) ; étymologie et théorie des signatures : M. Grieve, A Modern Herbal, entrée « Eyebright ».
The 'signature', a flower resembling an eye, is a historical belief, presented here as such and never as an ophthalmological fact. One distinguishes the literary quotation, attested, from the medicinal use it evokes, which does not amount to proof of efficacy and cannot stand in for a health claim.
Keep in mind
Traditional use: scientific data remain limited.
A note on rigour: many companion pairings are gardening folklore; this note sums up what the sources say, where there are any.
Before you forage
This plant is often gathered from the wild. Only pick what is abundant, never a protected species, and never uproot a whole plant (roots) without the landowner's permission. Rules vary by country and region, check locally.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers full sun exposure.
- • Ideal soil: poor, dry (lean meadows).