''Euphrasia stricta'', the drug eyebright, is an annual forb in the genus '' Euphrasia''. It has been introduced in northeastern North America, where it is found in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

(except Connecticut), New York, Pennsylvania, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec, the upper peninsula of Michigan, northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. It is also found in Central Europe and Pyrenees The preferred growing location is on moist,

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

sands, such as those on some moors and dunes. The plant is a

hemiparasite A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

and can steal water and salts from grasses.

Uses

''Euphrasia stricta'' is used in herbal medicine to treat inflammatory eye conditions, most notably allergic conjunctivitis. The German Commission E did not consider there to be sufficient evidence to prove eyebright is useful for any condition. Human clinical trials are lacking to support traditional claims, though absence of evidence is not proof of inefficacy.

References

stricta {{Orobanchaceae-stub

Uses

See also

References