Relieve and Treat Cold Symptoms in Your Eye Naturally with Tea

When you have a cold (or allergy) in your eyes, they become goopy, beet red, and itchy as all get out. It's all you can do to keep from rubbing them constantly, and you want to improve your symptoms and appearance quickly. Most people turn to eye drops like Visine or allergy eye drops, and they work temporarily but overuse can actually make the redness and irritation worse. Here is an excellent home remedy for relieving itchy eyes due to a cold that I always turn to because it's cheap, easy and provides instant relief. No more being an "eye sore".

When you have a cold in your eyes, parsley is your best friend. Fresh parsley that you can buy in the vegetable section of any grocery store is best. Yes, I am talking about the garnish you usually see on your plate at a fancy restaurant. Not only is parsley a great breath freshener, but it is also a natural anti-inflammatory and antibiotic and it give your eyes the AHH relief they have been looking for.

Simply take fresh parsley leaves (about a cup's worth) and boil them in a pan of water, making a parsley tea. Allow it to cool and flush your eyes with the liquid. The natural antibodies in parsley flush out the infection in your eyes and clear the mucous that builds up on the eyeball itself and your inflamed tear ducts. It eases the redness and swelling by clearing the mucous and bacteria out of the eye, and the cooling effect of parsley is mild enough to treat the burning without causing more damage to the eye. Simply flush the eye with the liquid (I use a cup and blink into it a few times and tip my head back to absorb the liquid into the eye and then slowly rinse my eyes with the liquid afterward) and instantly you will feel relief from the burn and the puffiness and redness will begin to fade.

This remedy is also great for debris in the eye, such as dog hair or dirt, dust, and field particles (those of you country dwelling folk know exactly what I'm talking about). Rubbing the eye can cause the cornea to tear and can irritate the tear duct, and while water is a great flush for the eye as well sometimes it can sting the eye, whereas the parsley remedy actually soothes the eye while it flushes out the irritant.

Another great common product you can use to clear the mucous in your eyes and bring them relief is contact solution (saline). Contact solution is designed to protect the contact lenses form infection and clears protein deposits when contacts are not being worn, and is great in a pinch for aiding in itchy, dry red eyes. Though from my experience it is not as soothing or effective as the parsley remedy, it does work in a pinch.

When using the parsley tea remedy for your eyes, fresh parsley is best. I have used dried parsley, but it doesn't create as strong a brew, but if it's all you have and you still would like relief, it will work. I have noticed that dried parsley also does not have as strong a cooling element to ease the burning as fresh parsley. Also, luke-warm or cool liquid is best when you are applying it to your eyes. Too hot and you will regret it.

You can repeat the parsley tea remedy for your eyes as often as needed, though I find myself using it upon waking and going to bed, when the symptoms are worst, and not needing it during the day. I have also noticed the cold disappears sooner in my eyes when I use parsley to relieve them as opposed to just taking a cold and cough syrup. I attribute this to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the parsley, as it not only relieves symptoms but fights the infection directly as well.

Here's to clear eyes!