13 Natural Eye Stye Remedies
Eye stye is a discomforting situation nobody wants to suffer for a week. It is characterized by eyelid swelling and crusting, soreness, itching, tearing up, and light sensitivity. Stye can really get in your way of work and may take a few days before improving. Today, I want to share with you 13 natural eye stye remedies that could help.
What Causes Stye?
Stye can happen to anyone and from various causes. More often, it is due to a bacterial infection in the oil gland or the follicle in the eyelid.
Avoiding hand contact with the eye can prevent a stye. But sometimes, no matter how hygienic you are, it can still occur.
There are two types of stye depending on where it occurs: internal or external.
Internal stye happens when the oil gland in the inner eyelid is inflamed. It swells up and develops an abscess or pocket of pus. Internal stye is very painful since the bump pushes on the eyeball.
External eye stye is more common and occurs when the sebaceous gland on the outer part of the eyelid is infected.
You are at risk for stye whenever you have hay fever or allergy, forget to clean eye makeup or use contaminated eye products. People with rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis and diabetes are also prone to developing an eye stye.
Self-Care for Eye Stye
Stye does not necessarily need any treatment and tends to go away on its own. If it persists and spreads on your eyelids, doctors may prescribe antibiotics to curb the bacterial growth.
In some cases, an ophthalmologist may drain the pus through a minor incision on the bump. Popping it is the last resort if the stye does not clear up and certainly is not something to try at home by yourself.
A stye is best managed at home by:
- Gentle cleaning with mild soap and warm water
- A warm compress over the affected area
- Keep the eye clean at all times
- Avoid eye products such as makeup and contact lenses until the infection is healed
- Herbal remedies
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13 Home Remedies for Eye Stye
A poultice of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory herbs can help speed up the healing of a stye. A warm infusion of a healing herb is also more effective than water for cleaning the eyelids.
Eyebright: Euphrasia officinalis is a plant that herbalists use for treating eye illnesses. It is prepared by boiling its leaves and using the infusion as an eye wash. Eyebright is effective against blepharitis, conjunctivitis, bloodshot eyes and eye stye. It may also help reduce the symptoms of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
Potato: Bake some potato, cut a slice, wrap it in a clean cloth and apply over the inflamed eyelid. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a mild astringent vegetable that helps drain abscesses and reduce inflammations. It also makes a great warm compress for the eyes because it retains warmth longer.
Green tea compress: A bag of warm green tea is also a good poultice for stye and chalazion. Green tea contains tannic acid and anti-inflammatory enzymes that stupor the infection and inflammation. Just put a warm and moist green tea bag over the closed eyelid and let it stay for 5 to 10 minutes to relieve the pain.
Cucumber: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is not only perfect for managing dark circles and eyebags but also for treating stye. Cucumber has a cooling effect that alleviates the tenderness, redness and burning sensation in the eyelid.
Coriander: The seeds possess strong antibacterial and astringent properties to decrease stye infection. It treats the blurred vision that may come along with the stye and treat other eye infections like conjunctivitis.
Aloe Vera: Aloe barbadensis is the best herb for inflammatory skin problems. It contains salicylic acid that relieves pain and kills the bacteria that trigger the inflammation. Applying a thick coat of the aloe vera gel or juice can soothe the itching and aching of the eye stye.
Guava: Guava, especially its leaves, is an excellent antiseptic that washes away and prevents the growth of bacteria. Guava (Psidium guajava) drains the pus and aids in the faster healing of the skin abrasion. You may either use an infusion of young guava leaves to wash the infected area or warm its leaves over a fire and apply it as a poultice.
Turmeric: Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has the ability to reduce inflammation when taken internally and applied externally. The best way of fighting stye is in dealing with the infection from within. Try taking a glass of milk with one tablespoon of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper for faster healing of the stye.
Parsley: A poultice of parsley leaves over the stye or any boil can effectively reduce its redness and inflammation. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is an effective herb against abscesses and acts as a purifying agent that draws out the bacteria.
Garlic: Garlic (Allium sativum) is also a common and effective spice for stye home care. It has an excellent antimicrobial property that stops the spreading of the infection. All you need is to squeeze out the garlic juice and carefully apply it to the eyelid before washing it off with lukewarm water.
Onion: Onion (Allium cepa) is notorious for stinging the eyes but it is also one of the kitchen staples you can use to alleviate stye. It helps reduce swelling and pain and inhibits bacterial growth. Onion juice may also cure conjunctivitis and blepharitis.
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil has a strong anti-inflammatory effect that gets rid of pus and microbes causing the stye. Coconut is safe for use around the eyes and helps keep the area hydrated to avoid crusting.
Lavender Oil: Lavender oil is great for a stye that arises from skin problems like psoriasis and rosacea. It is excellent in removing bacteria and treating inflammation. The oil cools the skin and soothes the swelling of the eyelid.
Coriander Water Remedy for Stye
Prepare this healing infusion to help you recover quickly from the bothersome stye.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 2 cups water
Steps:
- Put the coriander seeds in a pan of water and bring to a boil.
- Continue boiling for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it soak for half an hour or until warm to touch.
- Strain the infusion into a clean container.
Strain the infusion into a clean container.
How to Use
Use the coriander water in washing and cleaning the affected area two to three times a day. You may also dip a clean cloth in the coriander water and gently apply it to the stye.
Stye responds better to warm compress which liquefies the clogged oil in the oil glands. A gentle massage also helps drain the abscess faster.
A little more in-depth information would have been more helpful, as in a way I need to sometimes guess what the author is trying to tell me, with some of the plants, yet identified have different names, and to which by name, most plants are grown in the US, and not in some other countries like Australia, or maybe the plants have a different English name perhaps, and are different in size due to climate, so both or all the names of the same plants would help even more so in a identifying prospect,
Cheers,
Hi Pasquale,
In this article, the scientific name of each plant is mentioned. You can use that as guidance in finding the right plant.
Many blessings and good health!
Thanks, Nicole and Ann Marie! Very helpful information! I’ll add one thing to your list: take a tablespoon of sunflower lecithin every day in a cup of any kind of tea. It will break up the pus and clear the stye. I had a very stubborn stye, actually a chalazion for months. I had it surgically drained by the ophthalmologist and it still wouldn’t go away. It was finally cured in a week by taking lecithin..
Hi Margaret,
Thank you for sharing this remedy with us! We’re glad to hear you found an herbal remedy to treat the issue.
Many blessings and good health!
Thanks for this!
I suffer from severe Thygensons keratitis and I wonder if these remedies would help?
After 8 years of eye specialists just putting me on steroid drops I’m done with that approach and am seeking.
Are you tuned into this condition or dry eye disease?