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Get Rid of Pink Eye Fast with These Natural Remedies
Photo credit: bigstock
Pink eye: if you have ever had it, you know just how annoyingly painful it can be. Not only that, but people shun you like you have the plague, and that’s understandable; pink eye is highly contagious.
The technical term is conjunctivitis. It’s an inflammation of the membrane that covers that white part of your eye along with the inner part of the eyelid. Besides its beautiful pink color, there is also pain, drainage, itchiness, and a crusty covering that occurs when the drainage dries.
Without treatment, pink eye typically lasts about 7 to 10 days, but you don’t have to suffer that long. Keep reading for the best remedies that take care of pink eye in a jiffy. In some cases, you can get rid of it in as little as 24 hours! Remember that pink eye is highly contagious and you can easily infect your other eye or pass it on to others, so always wash your hands well and avoid touching others, as well as your other eye. Also, when making eyewashes, always use filtered or distilled water, not tap water. Tap water sometimes has contaminants that can make the problem worse.
Now, let’s get on to the top remedies so you can heal that pink eye fast!
1. Eyewash
This is the most common way to drain the pus and soothe the eye. There are many herbs that are super helpful and chances are you have at least one of these right in your kitchen.
- Eyebright – Appropriately named, this herb is used for the treatment of any type of irritation in the eyes. Add one tablespoon of eyebright to one cup of boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the leaves, and after this mixture cools, use an eyedropper to put 3 to 5 drops in your eye. Do this 3 times per day and most people find that their pink eye is gone within 24 hours.
- Chamomile Flowers – Add chamomile to one cup of boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and use as above.
- Fennel – This herb was used in ancient Rome to clear up eye problems. Add a few fennel leaves to one cup of boiling water and let steep for a few minutes. Once it cools, strain the leaves and use as an eyewash.
- Boric Acid – Boil one quart of water and add a tablespoon of boric acid. Allow to cool before using it as an eyewash. Use this mixture three times per day.
- Baking Soda – Mix one teaspoon of baking soda in two cups of water. This sounds too easy to be effective, but this is another remedy that generally clears up pink eye in 24 to 48 hours. Use two or three times per day.
- Aloe Vera Juice – Use the clear gel as part of an eyewash, or add some to a cold washcloth and use it as a compress.
2. Colloidal Silver
Before the creation of erythromycin, an antibiotic ointment, colloidal silver was commonly used for pink eye and was often put in a newborn’s eyes to protect them from certain types of bacterial infection. Many people swear that a few drops of colloidal silver twice per day gets rid of pink eye in 24 hours.
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3. Raw Honey
Mix a half cup of warm water and one teaspoon of raw, organic honey. Be certain you are using real raw honey, and not the junk they pass off as honey from the supermarket. Put a few drops in the infected eye. You might feel a little sting as the honey kills the bacteria, but be patient, it passes quickly. Do this twice or three times per day and your pink eye should disappear in one day.
4. Baby Shampoo Wash
This is an old remedy that is also extremely effective. Mix three or four drops of baby shampoo (the non-tearing kind) in a half a cup of water. Bend your head over a sink, face up, and have someone pour this mixture into the eye. Let it overflow and “wash” out the eye. When you are done, add one or two drops of castor oil into the eye. Do this twice per day and most people state that their infection is gone in 48 hours or less.
5. Breast Milk
No, this isn’t a typo, it’s a super effective measure that works like magic, although no one is quite sure why. The milk must be fresh, so if you are lucky enough to know a lactating mother, ask for a few drops and put it directly into the eye, three times per day. This has been known to clear up pink eye in less than 24 hours.
6. Salt Water
This remedy works well; however, it can sting quite a bit. Mix a quarter teaspoon of salt into a half a cup of water and wash out the eye with this mixture three times per day. Use distilled water for best results. These kind of saline washes are sold at drug stores, but why spend $5 or more for a mixture you can make yourself for pennies?
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Photo credit: bigstock
7. Essential Oil Compress
Add a few drops of rose oil, chamomile oil, rosemary oil, or lavender oil into a half a cup of warm water. Soak a washcloth in this solution and place over the eye. This is really helpful to remove that crusty layer that tends to grow on the outside lid. If you have it in both eyes, use a separate washcloth for each eye. Do this four or five times each day and always rinse the washcloth in hot water before reusing, or use a new cloth each time.
8. Tea Bags
If the itching and pain is driving you crazy, this method works well to stop both. You can use an old tea bag or take a fresh tea bag and get it wet (not dripping wet, just slightly more than damp) then place it in the freezer for 15 or 20 minutes. Place the cold tea bag over your eye for almost instantaneous relief. You can use just about any tea bag, but chamomile, green, or black tea work best.
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9. Cold Raw Potato
Another old home remedy is to place slices of cold, raw potatoes on the eyes and allow to sit for 15 or 20 minutes, and then throw away the potato slices. Do this three or four times per day. Although this will probably provide some relief, it’s unknown if it will actually cure the pink eye infection.
10. Vitamin A
This is more of a preventative measure, but it will help speed healing if your pink eye is due to a deficiency in vitamin A. You can take supplements or try eating more foods that are rich in vitamin A such as spinach, sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, and cheddar cheese.
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