Herb & supplement monograph

Eyebright Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Eyebright interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Eyebright is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Eyebright is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Eyebright Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Eyebright drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and every one traces back to a single theoretical concern rather than documented problems in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The one area worth watching is diabetes medications, including insulin and other drugs that lower blood sugar. Animal research suggests eyebright may reduce blood glucose on its own, so in theory adding it could push blood sugar lower than expected. Because blood sugar is a closely monitored target, people managing diabetes should be aware of this possibility, even though it has not been confirmed in human studies.

What the rest of the list means

Although the list of interacting medications looks long, it reflects this one blood-sugar concern applied across the many drugs used to treat diabetes. The evidence comes from animal research only, so the effect is possible but not established, and no harmful combinations have been documented in people. A long list here signals caution in one area, not broad danger.

Check your medications against Eyebright

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Eyebright interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Eyebright

86 medications have a known interaction with Eyebright, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Eyebright using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Eyebright interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Eyebright combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Eyebright affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Eyebright is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Eyebright interacts with

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, eyebright might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research suggests that eyebright lowers blood glucose levels.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Eyebright: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Eyebright is a traditional herb long used for minor eye irritation, redness, and allergy symptoms, but high-quality human studies are very limited. There is not enough reliable evidence to confirm it works, and using non-sterile herbal preparations in the eye carries a real risk of infection, so talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Scientific name: Euphrasia officinalis
Family: Orobanchaceae
Part used: Aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers)
Common forms: Tea, eye drops, tincture, capsules, homeopathic preparations, compresses

People commonly use it for

Eye irritation and redness
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Eye strain
Allergy and cold-related eye symptoms
Nasal congestion and hay fever

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely safe in small amounts as a tea, but using homemade or non-sterile preparations directly in the eye is risky.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Eyebright is a small flowering plant that grows wild in meadows and grassy areas across Europe and parts of Asia. Its name comes from its long history of being used for eye complaints. The plant is semi-parasitic, meaning it draws some nutrients from the roots of nearby grasses.

The parts used in herbal products are the above-ground portions — the leaves, stems, and flowers. These contain natural compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, and iridoid glycosides (including aucubin). People have used eyebright as a tea, a compress, eye drops, or a tincture, mainly for irritated or watery eyes and for allergy and cold symptoms.

How it works

The proposed activity of eyebright is usually credited to its tannins, which have an astringent (tightening) effect, and to flavonoids and iridoid glycosides, which may have mild anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the laboratory.

These mechanisms could, in theory, soothe irritated tissue or reduce inflammation. However, most of this research has been done in test tubes or animals, not in well-controlled human studies. Because of this, we cannot be certain how — or whether — eyebright works in people.

Effectiveness

Does Eyebright work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 9 uses evaluated

9 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Eyebright, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 9 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)