3 Natural Remedies for Stye Relief

If you have a red bump or pimple-like protrusion on the rim of your eyelid you could be forming a stye. The technical name is a hordeolum and it is the result of one of the many oil glands on your eyelid being clogged with dead skin, dirt, oil buildup, or product infiltration (ie makeup, face cream, soap, etc). When one of these tiny, tiny glands is blocked it can respond into an angry looking , infected growth making you look as if you were punched in the eye or contracted a terrible disease. 

Always check with your doctor if any type of infection develops just to make sure it really isn’t anything more serious. Once it is determined a stye (many doctors can assess your situation through telemedicine by simply sending a phone pic) then try these 3 natural remedies for stye relief. Before grabbing an over-the-counter medicine try these holistic approaches first. They just may enable your body to tap into its powerful healing capability and have you stye-less in no time.

Recognizing a Stye

Being sure you have a stye could be determined through obvious symptoms that include:

• Soreness
• Very itchy 
• Pain and swelling
• Extensive tear production
• Feels like you have something in your eye
• Crust that forms on the eyelid 
• A bulbous “head” on the protrusion that is white or red

Do not attempt to “pop” this protrusion as it could infect and make it worse. It is also possible that it could be another type of presentation called a chalazion which develops in the same way but without pain or itching and may take longer to heal.

Warm It Up

Your eyelid may receive minimal circulation so enhancing blood flow can be essential to healing. About three or four times per day place a warm compress on your stye and apply light pressure for about five minutes. Be sure to unwrap and re-wrap the compress so as to use all stored heat throughout the application.

The compress should be a very warm, wet, but not too wet, washcloth. This can be done in a microwave or on a stove top. 

For a microwave soak a washcloth and squeeze out excess liquid leaving enough dampness without dripping. Place in a microwave for thirty-seconds. Be extra careful removing the washcloth as microwave power can vary. 

On the stove top, warm water in a small pot to desired temperature. Roll up the washcloth and soak in the pot. Shut off heat under the pot and let cool. Squeeze out excess liquid from the washcloth leaving enough dampness without dripping.

Apply heated washcloth as described above. If stye comes to a head do not squeeze. Eventually the hard oils or other material that clogged the pore causing the stye will dissolve and the stye will drain. Do not touch it, just leave it to dry up. 

Not Washcloth, No Problem 

There is another easy compress you can try while enjoying it as a tasty beverage at the same time. Tea bags have shown to be highly effective when it comes to enhancing circulation, particularly to targeted areas like under eye swelling or a stye. 

Depending on the type of tea you use, this application may also help draw out bacteria while adding antioxidants, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Black or green tea bags are the best. If you experiment with other teas be sure to protect your eye from these as some can be caustic to the inner eye.

Coriander Seed Extract

Coriander seeds have been used for centuries as a natural healing solution applied to a stye or many other ailments. This is because coriander seeds contain several different healing properties that are potent enough to help reduce inflammation as well as act as a natural antibacterial. 

Indian researchers published a study of coriander in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (2013) concluding that,

“Coriander seed extract can induce bacterial cell damage and inhibit the growth of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Role of coriander seeds as antibacterial agent grants itself good potential to be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industry.”

Healthy and Natural World describes how to make and apply coriander seed extract,

• Boil one teaspoon of coriander seeds in one cup of water for five minutes.
• Cool, then strain the seeds.
• Using a cotton ball, apply to the coriander seed eye wash remedy to the infected red bump on your eyelid.
• Do this three times per day until the stye is healed and you no longer have any irritation around your eyelid

These 3 natural remedies for stye relief offer some easy, quick relief applications to calm and eventually heal this annoying, ugly, often painful condition.