Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is swelling and irritation in the tissue that covers the eye and lines the inner surface of the eyelid. It can make your eyes red, watery, and itchy.

It usually gets better in 2 to 14 days. Medicine can help conjunctivitis caused by bacteria or allergies. Some people turn to natural therapies to help ease discomfort.

Natural Therapies

May Be Effective

These herbs and supplements may help improve eye discomfort:

Herbal eye drop preparation ^{A3, A4}
Qatoor ramad is part of an alternative medicine from ancient Greece.^A2
Yupingfeng is an herb often used in Chinese medicine.^A1

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

Herbs and Supplements to Be Used With Caution

Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse.

References►

Herbs and Supplements

A1. Chen Y. Efficacy of sodium cromoglicate eye drops combined with impingent granules in the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. Eye Sci. 2013;28(4):201-203.

A2. Siddiqui TA, Zafar S, et al. Comparative double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of a herbal eye drop formulation (Qatoor Ramad) of Unani medicine in conjunctivitis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Nov;83(1-2):13-17.

A3. Biswas NR, Beri S, et al. Comparative double blind multicentric randomised placebo controlled clinical trial of a herbal preparation of eye drops in some ocular ailments. J Indian Med Assoc. 1996 Mar;94(3):101-102.

A4. Das GK, Pandey RM, et al. Comparative double masked randomised placebo controlled clinical trial of a herbal eye drop preparation in trachoma and conjunctivitis. J Indian Med Assoc. 1995 Oct;93(10):383-384.

Last reviewed November 2019 by EBSCO NAT Review Board Eric Hurwitz, DC Last Updated: 5/28/2020

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