The warm compress that most doctors recommend to heal sties can be made more effective if you soak the compress in a solution containing the herb eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis).

Steep 1 teaspoon dried eyebright in 1 cup boiling hot water for 10 minutes and strain WELL. Soak a washcloth in the solution (as warm as you can stand it), gently wring it, and apply it to the stye for 15 minutes two or three times a day.

Because a Stye is an infection, I add one teaspoon of dried or powdered Goldenseal (you can use capsules for this, just take apart and pour in) and 1 teaspoon of dried Calendula flowers.

This blend is also very effective for Conjunctivitis (infection of the lining of the eye, or “pink eye“).