I was sitting here, ready to write a post, but I was being driven crazy by itchy eyes. Rubbing didn’t help. It just got worse, making it difficult to concentrate. So, author Paul turned to herbalist Paul and asked what advice he would give someone with itchy eyelids. Herbalist Paul thought for a moment and said “I’d probably suggest bathing it with Purple Loosestrife Tea”. “Do we have any on hand?” I asked. Without replying, I quickly made my way to the freezer.
“I know they’re in there” I said.
“What are you looking for?” my author self inquired.
“Ice cubes. To be precise, Purple loosestrife eyewash ice cubes. There are various bags of medicinal ice cubes in here but not the one I’m looking for.”
“What else is good for soothing sore eyes?”
“Something with mucilage”
“And what are you holding in that bag?”
“Aloe ice cubes…..Dah!”
My herbalist self wrapped an ice cube in some cheese cloth and Author Paul rubbed it gently against his sore eyes. Less than a minute later, the soreness was gone. We were both delighted.
Since then, I’ve taken some of my dried Loosestrife flowers and made some more of the eyewash, which I froze in an ice cube tray. I like to make sure that I always have some on hand. Not only does the wash sooth sore eyes, it has proven very effective at treating sties. I have seen it clear them up over night on several occasions. I have also found it to be excellent for dealing with computer eye strain.
After my experience in using aloe, I’m starting to consider a combination of the two.
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