Ayurvedic Care For Beautiful Eyes And Home Remedies

Introduction

The eye is considered one of the most delicate organs of the body because vision plays a crucial role in the social and intellectual development of a person. Eyes are considered to be the windows to the soul. So it is very essential to take care of our eyes with great care.

According to Ayurveda, the muscles in the eye are governed by the earth element, the blood vessels by fire, eye colour by air, the eye white by water, and the tear ducts and channels by space. Eyes are the seat of the Pitta Dosha. The Alochaka Pitta, in particular, governs the eye and since the Pitta Dosha gets more unbalanced with age, advancing age affects the eyes. The eyes and their care are described in the ancient Ayurvedic texts. Good eye care habits help to keep the eyes healthy and vision clear.

Many of the eye problems can be eliminated by avoiding faulty lifestyles. Smoking, tobacco and alcohol consumption, high fat diet and junk food, chronic stress, prolonged exposure to bright light from computers and TV screens are a few examples that damage eye health.

So Ayurveda prescribes different ways to take care of eyes. Some of them are described below:

As per Ayurveda, there are several ways to prevent our eyes from disease. Ayurvedic scholars have prescribed specific ahara (diet), aushada (drugs), and vihara (daily regimen) for the prevention of eye diseases. They are described as follows:

Ahara Or Diet For Beautiful Eyes

Diet is an important factor for the proper functioning of the body and its organs. To maintain proper eye health we should include diets consisting of barley, wheat, red rice, green gram, vegetables, pomegranate, rock salt, pure cold water, etc.

Some of the factors that negatively affect our eyes are sour items like curd, pickles, etc., and hot items that vitiate pitta, food that contains items with cooling and hot properties, eating a meal before the complete digestion of the previous meal, etc.

Vihara Or Habitual Factors For Beautiful Eyes

Certain habitual factors that impact eye health are:

• Hot water head baths.
• Smoking.
• Sleeping in the day and staying up late at night.
• Looking at TV and computer screens for a prolonged period.
• Suppressing the urge to sleep.
• Air pollution.

Ayurveda Practices For Daily For Beautiful Eyes

We must also follow some of the practices for daily regimens as advised by Ayurveda are:

• Use of Anjana

  Anjana is an Ayurvedic paste applied to the inner part of the eyelids to promote good eye health.

• Adequate sleep

  Restful is important for a healthy life. During sleep, your eyes get the rest needed to retain their functional capacity.

• Feet care

  According to Ayurveda, regular massage of the feet can significantly benefit eye health and vision.

• Eye Wash

  Using Triphala eye wash or an eye wash cup is also beneficial for eye health.

• Eye exercises

  Set aside a few minutes in a day to perform simple eye exercises like moving them up-down, sideways, and in clockwise-anticlockwise directions. Palming is an excellent technique as well that can help in preventing refractive errors.

• Shatkarma

  Ayurveda describes six purification techniques or shatkarmas to clean the body of toxins, strengthen it and make it free of diseases. Out of them, neti(using plain warm saline water to clean the nasal tract of impurities) and tratak( gazing at a candle flame without blinking so that the tears naturally cleanse your eyes)works as the best Ayurvedic remedy for dry eyes and eye health.

Some of the daily regimens as advised by Ayurveda are the use of Anjana, adequate sleep, foot care, eye wash, eye exercises, and Shatkarma.

Ayurvedic Home Remedies For Better Eye Care

Ayurveda describes several ways to maintain the strength and health of your eyes. Some of them are:

• Cool water wash

  Ayurveda recommends splashing cold water on the eyes while holding water in your mouth during the morning. This makes your eyes feel fresh. It is better to use an eyecup to cool your eyes.

• Ghee lamp

  Ghee lamp is a traditional Ayurvedic eye care method to strengthen and soothe the eyes. To prepare a ghee lamp, use a small bowl of ghee and place a cotton wick in it. Using a wick made of genuine cotton is better. After that light, the wick and place the lamp two or three feet away from you. Gaze at the flame for a minute or two without blinking. It is known to improve the lustrous quality of eyes.

• Goat milk to reduce eye strain

  Ayurveda suggests that dipping a cotton ball or a piece of gauze in goat’s milk and putting it on the eyes can relieve eye strain and make them feel better.

• Castor oil

  Put a drop of castor oil on each eye before going to bed. Remember, the oil must not have any preservatives. If you are rubbing some oil into the soles of the feet you will wake up with fresh and bright eyes.

• Cucumber slices

  Cucumber has a lot of anti-irritation properties. If we are applying it to the eyes, it can help in reducing inflammation, puffiness, swelling, and irritation. The water content of the cucumber acts as a useful Ayurvedic remedy for various eye diseases.

Ayurveda prescribes several home remedies to take care of our eyes are cool water wash, cucumber slices, castor oil, goat milk to reduce eye strain, ghee lamp, etc.

Herbal Medicines For Better Eye Care

• Triphala

  Triphala is an Ayurvedic herbal formula that consists of three fruits – Amla (Emblica Officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula). Each fruit has its property to fight against the three doshas of the body positively. Triphala has strong medicinal properties and is widely used in Ayurvedic medicines to lower toxicity levels in the body and support general health. It is usually ingested, but to address eye-related concerns, it can also be applied in the form of eye drops.

• Ginkgo Biloba

  It can increase vision capacity or slow the progression of degenerative eye disease. The therapeutic properties of the plant are useful in the treatment of a variety of conditions, such as memory problems, blood disorders, and improving eye health. The Ginkgo Biloba extract used in herbal remedies is taken from the dried green leaves of the plant and made into liquid extracts, capsules, and tablets.

• Bilberry

  The bilberry plant has bright green leaves and bell-shaped flowers. As per Ayurveda, it is one of the important herbal remedies for eye care and it helps to improve both normal and night vision. It can reduce vascular permeability, capillary fragility and protect against cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

• Passionflower

  The Passionflower is a climbing vine. The parts of the plant above the ground are used to make medicine. Passionflower is used to treat insomnia, anxiety, ADHD, pain, burns and contributes significantly to the improvement of eyesight conditions in Ayurvedic medicine. It relaxes the blood vessels in the eye and helps to maintain proper eye health. It acts as a nerve relaxer and also reduces the tension in the eye nerves, thereby improving the ability of the eye to focus clearly and function better.

• Calendula

  Ayurveda recommends calendula is used in the treatment of several problems like muscle spasms, fever, inflammation, leg ulcers, etc., it is also an effective herbal remedy for managing various eye issues. Calendula is also called pot marigold, and due to its antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, it is used to manage eye conditions, such as conjunctivitis, allergies, general eye irritations, minor eye injuries, and redness or swelling of the eye.

• Fennel seeds and almonds

  Fennel seeds and almonds are considered as the ingredients of various Ayurvedic medicines for eye health. It is very effective to consume a simple mixture of fennel seeds and almonds to fight early signs of eye problems. Fennel consists of antioxidants and nutrients which help in slowing down the progression of cataract and promote healthy eyes.

The science of Ayurveda is an integral form of medicine and healthcare which primarily aims at the prevention of disease and promotes positive well-being. Its holistic approach towards lifestyle and health makes it vital in the modern-day scenario. So Ayurveda promotes the importance of maintaining eyes in proper ways. It also offers numerous safe, effective, and simple methods for maintaining our eyes. The Ayurvedic approaches to healthy eyes give a prime role in present-day society. Although these approaches are primitive, they are viable and can still be easily practised in our daily lives to avoid lifestyle-related eye disorders.

Conclusion

All the information is collected from various Ayurvedic books and always consults an Ayurvedic practitioner before starting any herbal medicines for treating and maintaining our eyes.