The plants traditionally used in phytotherapy as natural remedies for sty are numerous, but the most used, due to their effectiveness, are mallow, euphrasia, cornflower and chamomile.

When it forms, you can try to intervene by exploiting the active ingredients of these herbs, which can definitely help to naturally relieve the sty. Some people even let it burn on its own over time, but waiting could be long and even more annoying.

Meaning of sty

Sty is an abscess at the level of the skin surface of the eyelid, caused by an infection of a sebaceous gland , which manifests itself with redness and swelling of the skin, in correspondence with the affected gland, due to the accumulation of sebum. It usually affects the small sebaceous glands, located near the hair follicles of the eyelashes: those of Zeiss, in the case of external sty , located on the outer edge of the eyelid; or those of Meibomian, under the conjunctiva, when the sty is internal .

The causes of the sty in 90% of cases are caused by a staphylococcal infection , which penetrates into a hair follicle of the eyelashes and triggers the inflammatory process which, spreading to the neighboring sebaceous glands, gives rise to the sty. A seborrhea situation , i.e. excessive oily discharge produced by the eyelid glands, can increase the likelihood of developing infection.

Other factors contributing to the onset of this disorder can be poor makeup removal , use of old or infected cosmetics , poor eyelid hygiene, inflammatory diseases of the eyelid, such as blepharitis or conjunctivitis, hormonal changes , weakened immune system , inflammation caused from contact with salt water or water rich in chlorine .

The most common ailments and natural eye treatments

 Natural remedies for styes

Treating styes with natural remedies mainly means helping to relieve symptoms and accelerate recovery from the infection. Often it is enough to make warm compresses that help to increase the blood circulation of the eyelid: in this way the inflammatory substances can be easily removed and the pus that collects in the center of the sty, “bursting”, leads to rapid healing.

In most cases, the sty heals on its own within a week or so, however if this is not the case, a specialist medical examination is recommended. To speed up the healing process, it may be useful to apply cotton balls soaked in infusions of herbs and medicinal plants for 10 minutes and every 3-4 hours.

Important : do not try to press the sty, as it can cause serious infections.

• Mallow : the  flowers and in particular the leaves of the mallow are rich in  mucilage,  which give the plant  emollient  and  anti- inflammatory properties  for all the soft tissues of the body. These active ingredients work by coating the mucous membranes with a viscous layer that protects them from irritating agents, as they help to decongest the eyelids and conjunctiva and significantly decrease excessive ocular and nasal secretion.

• Euphrasia : in the popular tradition the use of this plant as a specific remedy for the eyes, refers to the ancient Theory of the Signature of Paracelsus , which claimed that a plant was suitable for treating the organ it resembled; in the case of Euphrasia the flower has a colored spot in the center that resembles an eye. Today it is used in phytotherapy in the treatment of eye diseases, such as conjunctivitis , also due to allergy, in blepharitis, and in all cases of ocular inflammation. In particular, in the case of sty, compresses can be made with sterile gauze compresses soaked with its lukewarm infusion, or even with the same plant soaked by the infusion, wrapped in sterile gauze and applied equally warm on the sty, to relieve it and facilitate its resolution. It is used in the form of eye drops, often associated with other plants, and as eye lavage or for compresses made with its infusion, which of course must be well filtered to avoid introducing fragments of the plant itself into the eye. The use as an anti-inflammatory is justified by the presence of iridoids , flavonoids and tannins, which give the plant analgesic properties ,astringent , anti- inflammatory and antibacterial. 

• The cornflower: has decongestant, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties useful in case of ophthalmias. Its flowers are used, in fact, for the presence of anthocyanins and flavonoids , in inflammations of the eye in the form of distillate, eye drops, tablets, decongestant eye washes for inflamed conjunctiva. Also in the cosmetic field it becomes part of the composition of cleansers and make-up removers, tonics and eyelid waters.

• Chamomile , its countless applications, are also used to make eye washes, decongestant packs and tablets and eyelid lotions, eye drops, for inflammation of the eyes, conjunctivitis, styes and blepharitis . Also in this case the infusion must be perfectly filtered, preferably through a sterile gauze, due to the presence of small tubular flowers that can pass through the normal filters: some recommend not to use the chamomile infusion in the eye area to prevent any damage due to impurities contained in the infusion that is not perfectly filtered, but with the appropriate precautions they can be carried out safely.