Dry Eye Syndrome

Why it works: DED is inflammatory. TFOS DEWS II describes DED as a loss of tear-film homeostasis driven by instability, hyper-osmolarity and ocular surface inflammation. Treating inflammation is...

Instructions: There’s no regulator-approved curcumin product for DED. What follows are study-style regimens, used adjunctively to standard care (e.g., artificial tears). Always discuss with your...

Warnings: Curcumin is widely used, but not risk-free—especially in concentrated, enhanced-absorption supplemen...

Studies: Randomized adjunct trial (curcumin-phospholipid + tears): 90...

Why it works: Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory actions at the ocular surface. DED involves tear-film instability, hyper-osmolarity and ocular surface inflammation/oxidative stress; reducing that...

Instructions: Dose & combo used most often in DED RCTs:. Lutein 20 mg + zeaxanthin (isomers) 4 mg once daily, typically for 8 weeks, sometimes alongside curcumin (200 mg) and vitamin D3 (600 IU)...

Warnings: Evidence base: current human evidence for DED is adjunctive and mainly with multi-ingredient product...

Studies: Randomized, placebo-controlled trials in DED (multi-ingredie...

Why it works: Antioxidant & blue-light filtering: Lutein/zeaxanthin are xanthophyll carotenoids that concentrate in ocular tissues and can quench reactive oxygen species and filter short-wavelen...

Instructions: Form & dose (what’s been used in trials):. • Zeaxanthin 1–4 mg/day with lutein 6–20 mg/day taken orally. Examples:. • 10 mg lutein + 2 mg zeaxanthin daily for 6 months in heavy scr...

Warnings: Overall, zeaxanthin has a favorable safety profile, including regulatory assessments:. • General saf...

Studies: Randomized controlled trials (humans):Lutein (20 mg) + zeaxa...

Why it works: Anti-inflammatory & antioxidant compounds. Chrysanthemum flowers contain flavonoids (e.g., luteolin, apigenin) and related constituents with anti-inflammatory/antioxidant actions—m...

Instructions: There are no approved ophthalmic (in-the-eye) chrysanthemum products for DED. Use is oral (tea/decoction) or as part of multi-herb formulas. Do not put homemade teas/tinctures in y...

Warnings: Allergy risk (Asteraceae/Compositae family). Chrysanthemum is in the daisy/ragweed family. People wi...

Studies: Computational/Systems biology (hypothesis-generating). Multi...

Why it works: Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory actions (LBP): Goji’s signature polysaccharides (LBP) reduce ocular-surface inflammation and improve tear metrics in animal DED models (↑tear secret...

Instructions: Dietary (whole fruit):. • A small randomized trial in healthy adults used 28 g dried goji berries, 5 days/week for 90 days, increasing macular pigment (general eye-health biomarker...

Warnings: Warfarin (and similar anticoagulants): Multiple case reports link goji intake (teas/wine/juice) to d...

Studies: Dry eye—animal studies (positive):Topical LBP eye drops (mic...

Why it works: Chamomile contains flavonoids (e.g., apigenin) and sesquiterpenes (e.g., α-bisabolol, chamazulene) that show anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions in non-ocular models—e.g., do...

Instructions: What NOT to do. • Don’t put chamomile tea, tea bags, essential oil, or homemade extracts in or on the eye. Risk = allergic conjunctivitis/angioedema and microbial contamination; ri...

Warnings: Allergy / cross-reactivity: Chamomile can cross-react with ragweed/mugwort pollens (Asteraceae). Cas...

Studies: DED-specific or ocular evidence involving chamomileIn vitro...

Why it works: TCM rationale. Qi Ju Di Huang Wan is Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan with two eye-focused additions—goji berry (Gou Qi Zi, Lycium) and chrysanthemum (Ju Hua)—to “nourish Liver & Kidney yin” a...

Instructions: What’s in it (classical 8-herb pill): Shu Di Huang (Rehmannia), Shan Zhu Yu (Cornus), Shan Yao (Dioscorea), Mu Dan Pi (Moutan), Ze Xie (Alisma), Fu Ling (Poria), Gou Qi Zi (Lycium/...

Warnings: Warfarin (and other anticoagulants): be very cautious.. Goji (Lycium barbarum), a core herb in this...

Studies: Randomised, placebo-controlled trial (80 patients). Chang Y-...

Why it works: Multi-herb formula with ocular mechanisms relevant to DED. Qiming Granule contains Astragalus, Pueraria (kudzu), Rehmannia, Lycium (goji), Cassia seed, Motherwort, Typha pollen, an...

Instructions: Form & dose used on the official label (China): 4.5 g per sachet; 1 sachet, three times daily, dissolved in hot water; course 3–6 months. (This is the manufacturer’s labeled regime...

Warnings: From the product label (China):. • Usual side effects reported: upper-abdominal discomfort, rash/itc...

Studies: Systematic review & meta-analysis (2020, Frontiers in Ph...

Why it works: Targeted mechanism (TCM + biophysical fit). The clinical trials below studied PGYYQR in evaporative dry eye from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in patients diagnosed (by TCM dif...

Instructions: If you’re trying to mirror the regimen that has evidence:. • Population: Adults with evaporative DED due to MGD and TCM pattern Yin deficiency with Yang hyperactivity. d.wanfangdat...

Warnings: Use only for the right subtype/pattern. The evidence is for evaporative DED from MGD with a TCM patt...

Studies: Stratified, randomized controlled trial (English journal).Ga...

Why it works: Neurotrophic/tear reflex pathway support. The only controlled human study relevant to dry-eye endpoints found that oral GJG improved corneal sensitivity and tear production (Schirm...

Instructions: Dose used in studies / labeling: 7.5 g per day of standardized extract granules (TJ-107), usually 2–3 divided doses before or between meals. The diabetic ocular-surface RCT referen...

Warnings: (From the official Japanese package insert and pharmacovigilance summaries). • Serious but rare risk...

Studies: Direct/near-direct evidence on ocular surface & tearsNag...

Why it works: Anti-inflammatory & cytoprotective actions on the ocular surface. Water extracts of D. officinale reduced inflammatory signaling (MAPK/NF-κB), lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines (e...

Instructions: There’s no established human dose or approved ophthalmic product of D. officinale for DED. What follows are research protocols and safe-use guardrails if you’re considering it as a...

Warnings: Evidence gap: Use is off-label/experimental for dry eye; discuss with an ophthalmologist or optometr...

Studies: Animal studies (DED models): • D. officinale and D. loddiges...

Why it works: TCM rationale & pattern. Xiaosheng Powder is used within a “soothe the Liver, nourish Yin” approach for DED that TCM ophthalmologists describe as liver depression with yin deficien...

Instructions: Composition (typical modern granule form reported in clinics/articles). Party ginseng (党参), Angelica sinensis/“Dang Gui” (当归), Rehmannia root/“Sheng Di” (生地), White peony/“Ba...

Warnings: General medical cautions. • Do not self-treat sight-threatening or severe dry eye (e.g., persistent...

Studies: Animal study (mechanism & efficacy signals).Journal of B...

Why it works: Biophysical lubrication & mucoadhesion: HA is a viscoelastic polymer that binds water, adheres to the ocular surface, and shows non-Newtonian (shear-thinning) behavior—so it spread...

Instructions: Concentration & frequency: HA drops commonly come in 0.1–0.2% (some up to 0.4%). Typical starting use is 1 drop per eye, 3–6×/day, increasing as needed for symptoms; more viscous/g...

Warnings: Preservatives (especially BAK): Long-term/frequent exposure to BAK can cause ocular surface toxicity...

Studies: Systematic reviews & meta-analysesHA vs non-HA artificia...