Cultivate, cut and plant common eyebright

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The common eyebright has become relatively rare in Europe. Here you can find out how you can settle the medicinal plant in your garden.

The common eyebright (Euphrasia rostkoviana) is native to almost all European countries. Like many other plants of this genus, the population of the common eyebright is declining, which means that it is now on the Red List as an endangered plant. This is one more reason to settle the practical plant in your own garden.

Names and origin of Euphrasia rostkoviana

Euphrasia rostkoviana is a meadow plant that comes from the broomrape family. The old medicinal plant has a variety of names. Other German-language names of the medicinal plant are:

  • Meadow Eyebright
  • Gibinix
  • Thank you
  • Autumn Flowers
  • Milk barns
  • Beacon
  • Augustinuskraut
  • Grumpy Flower
  • Haschelm
  • Meadow Wolf

The semiparasitic plant owes its latter name to its ability to use sucking roots to use nutrients and minerals directly from the roots of nearby grasses and to impair their growth. The plant bears its name milk thief because the inhibited growth of the grass can have an impact on the milk yield. If there is no host around, the medicinal plant can also draw nutrients and water from the soil.

Appearance and effect of common eyebright

Euphrasia rostkoviana is an annual plant with a herbaceous appearance that reaches a height of one DIN A4 sheet. Its small leaves have the shape of an ellipse and spikes. The heyday of the milk thief is between July and September. White labial flowers about one centimeter in size now appear. Yellow patches on the lower lip compete with purple stripes on the lower and upper lip. After flowering, fruit capsules and seeds are formed during fertilization.

In medicine, the plant is used in homeopathy and folk medicine to relieve coughs and hoarseness. As the name suggests, it is particularly popular for use in eye diseases. So the common eyebright against inflammation of the conjunctiva or the edge of the eyelidused when these were caused by fatigue or catarrh.

Location

The common eyebright prefers fresh to moderately dry soil in a sunny to semi-shady and cool location. The ideal soil is nutrient-poor and loose. If the ground is very hard or loamy, you can loosen the ground by mixing it with sand or lawn soil. The plant can only grow between other grasses and perennials, which is why seeding within an existing meadow or host plant is required.

Sowing of Common Eyebright

The months of October, November and December are particularly suitable for sowing, as the seeds need a longer period of cold below five degrees Celsius to germinate. Another essential requirement is a host plant. Sweet grasses are suitable for this.

Tip: The most successful seeding is done in an existing lawn that has enough host plants.

For outdoor sowing, it is a good idea to mark the spot in question and not to step on it. To prepare the area, you should shorten and unhook tall grass. Now the seeds of the common eyebright can be laid out on the ground and lightly pressed. Watering is not necessary, since a rest phase now occurs. You have to wait until around the beginning of March. Now germination begins.

Care of Common Eyebright

The seeds need sufficient light during dormancy and to germinate. Therefore, you should keep the lawn short. Scissors are suitable for this so as not to damage the seedlings. Basically, species of Euphrasia are adapted to drought. Watering is therefore only necessary when the surrounding grass appears too dry. You should avoid fertilizers, as they tend to hinder the growth of eyebright. In order to increase the yield, it is advisable to cut back the side shoots of the plant once or twice a month in spring. This encourages the growth of other side shoots.