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Best Chinese Herbs for Eye Health

Kaitlan Downes, MSAOM, L.AC

Of all the senses, vision is one of the most essential. Yet, few people know how to take care of their eyes naturally.

Unfortunately, many of our daily habits sabotage our eye health and vision. Excessive screen time from phones and computers tires the eyes and impairs our vision. Plus, pollution, makeup, and environmental factors can exacerbate eye dryness, pain, or itching.

Thankfully, Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a natural way to improve your vision and eye health, whether you’re managing an eye condition or want to preserve your vision as you age.

Read on to find out how TCM treats eye conditions and which Chinese herbs are best to heal your eyes.

Vision and Eye Health in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Chinese medicine, all the acupuncture meridians run through the eye. This means an imbalance in any one of them could affect vision or eye health.

However, eye diseases are most closely related to the Liver meridian which controls the cornea and the iris. When the Liver system is stressed or weakened (either by constitution, overuse, or aging), issues like poor vision, floaters, dizziness, blurred vision, eye pain or eye fatigue can occur.

Allergies, heat, wind, and inflammation can also cause eye issues. In these cases, your eyes will be more red, itchy, or watery.

In both cases, TCM can help support vision and eye health and prevent disease by promoting healthy circulation and flow of energy and fluids.

What Eye Conditions Can Chinese Herbs Improve?

Chinese Medicine can help you manage and prevent a wide range of eye disorders including:

  • Dry eyes
  • Eye strain
  • Blurry vision
  • Floaters
  • Red, itchy, allergic eyes
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Styes
  • Macular degeneration
  • Cataracts
  • Vertigo
  • Vision decline with aging

The Best Chinese Herbs for Eye Health

If you’re struggling with an eye condition, a Chinese herbal formula is a natural way to give your eyes the best chance of healing. Here are some of the most common eye conditions that help improve vision and restore a natural healthy balance to the eyes:

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan

This formula is for you if you constantly struggle with dry eyes, no matter how many eye drops you use. When dryness or deficiency affects the Liver and Kidney systems, eyes get uncomfortably dry. This formula helps to tonify the yin and fluids and strengthen the Liver for strong, healthy eyes and clear vision. Ming mu di huang wan can also be used to improve blurry vision and light sensitivity.

Er Long Zuo Ci Wan

This formula is a version of the popular formula Liu Wei Di Huang Wan which strongly tonifies the body’s yin. Because of this, Er Long Zuo Ci Long is helpful in treating eye conditions due to yin deficiency, like dry eyes or blurred vision. It can also help improve yin deficiency-related hearing issues like tinnitus.

Bi Yan Pian

If you suffer from seasonal hay fever and allergies, this formula can help! It helps to reduce inflammation and congestion in the sinuses that cause eye discomfort. Choose this if you suffer from red, itchy eyes as well as blocked sinuses.

Tian Ma

Chronic yin deficiency can lead to a condition in TCM called liver yang rising. Without the balance of yin to “hold down” Liver yang, the yang rises and causes disruptions in the head and face. Tian Ma Teapills help “anchor” the yang with calming and nourishing herbs. You may need this formula if you suffer from eye issues related to Liver yang rising, such as migraine headaches, dizziness, and vertigo.

The Best Chinese Teas for Eye Health

Along with Chinese herbal pills, Chinese teas can also help improve your vision and eye health. Here are some of the best Chinese teas for eyes.

Healthy Eyes Tea

This jasmine flavored herbal tea benefits the eye by supporting retinal health and maintaining healthy eyesight by using nourishing and balancing herbs.

Blood Pressure Tea

High blood pressure can typically be traced back to a problem with heat in the Liver system which rises and affects the head and eyes. On the surface, this shows up as dry, red eyes and headaches. To both treat and prevent high blood pressure, enjoy a cup of blood pressure tea daily.

Reishi Liver Health

This tea tonifies and nourishes a weakened or stressed Liver that’s causing dry and tired eyes. Reishi Liver Health tea also supports the Kidney system – our “fountain of youth” – to reduce the wear and tear on our eyes from the natural aging process. Use this tea to manage stress by supporting your Liver, Kidneys, and overall well-being.

The Best Chinese Herbs for Pet Eye Health

Did you know that Chinese herbs can help improve your pet’s eye health too? Just like us humans, animals also develop imbalances that affect their vision and eye health. Chinese herbs help restore a healthy balance, reduce inflammation, restore yin, and rejuvenate the eyes. Consult your holistic veterinarian about using these or any supplement to help your pet.

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan is an oral/internal formula used in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine to help improve the symptoms of chronic eye conditions in cats, dogs, and horses. This formula supports the yin fluids and restores a healthy flow of qi and blood to the eye. It can be used specifically to manage chronic uveitis, diabetes, equine recurrent uveitis, glaucoma, hypertension, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

This formula is right for pets who also experience other signs of yin deficiency, like dry skin, hot ears and feet, panting, excessive thirst, and a dry red tongue.

Babao Boyun Sun

Unlike Ming Mu Di Huang Wan, Babao Boyun Sun is a topical Chinese herbal formula that you can use as an herbal eye drop for your pet. It is most helpful for eye conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygium, conjunctivitis, keratitis, trachoma, vitreous opacity, retinopathy, senile tearing, ocular hypothyroidism, and diabetic hypertensive eye complications.

From a Chinese Medicine point of view, this formula is effective in reducing dampness that clouds vision, heat that inflames the tissue of the eyes, and blood stasis that prevents the proper functioning of the eye.

Heal Your Eyes with Chinese Herbs

We rely so much on our eyes – take good care of them with Chinese herbs! TCM herbal formulas can help you improve your eye health, support good vision, and prevent eye conditions down the road.

Shop our full collection of Chinese herbs for eye health and vision here.

Table of Contents

About the Author

Kaitlan Downes, MSAOM, L.AC

Kate Downes is a Chinese medicine practitioner with a passion for herbal medicine. In fact, it was her love for plant and earth medicine that first drew her to study Chinese medicine.

Kate has a MSAOM (Master of Science, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine) certification and practiced acupuncture in Indianapolis, IN for five years before packing her bags to roam the world. In order to stay in touch with the wellness community and continue to help others thrive with herbal medicine, she transformed her work from face-to-face patient care to spreading wellness through words. Her life as a remote herbalist and writer has allowed her to work with a variety of wellness brands, health pioneers, and her wonderful clients. She has a special interest in working with women’s health.

Kate thoroughly enjoys writing educational and useful pieces for Best Chinese Medicine. Her goal is to help the public gain a better understanding of the wonders of Chinese herbal medicine so they can be empowered in their own quest for natural, vibrant health.

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