EVENING PRIMROSE OILOenothera Biennis

[Sun Drop ]

Oil is extracted from the seeds and prepared as medicine using a chemical called hexane. The seeds contain up to 25% essential fatty acids including linoleic acid (LA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Both LA and GLA belong to the omega-6 family of fatty acids. The vast majority of North Americans get too much omega-6 fatty acid in their diet. There are differences, though,between the different types of omega-6 fatty acids in terms of whether they are healthy or unhealthy. Please see the monograph on the supplement omega-6 fatty acids for a detailed description of these essential fatty acids, including the effects they have on the body and how to balance them in your diet.

Today, evening primrose seed oil (EPO) is used primarily to relieve the itchiness associated with certain skin conditions (such as eczema) and to ease breast tenderness from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or other causes. It is considered to be potentially useful for the treatment of many conditions including:

Allergies, particularly skin rash or hives
Eczema, including redness and scaling in addition to itching
PMS, including mood swings and bloating in addition to breast tenderness
Arthritis, primarily rheumatoid
Dry eyes, from, for example, Sjogren's syndrome (a condition with symptoms of dry eyes, dry mouth, and, often, arthritis) Peripheral Neuropathy, a nerve condition experienced as numbness, tingling, pain, burning, or lack of sensation in the feet and/or legs, from Diabetes Menopausal symptoms. Although EPO has gained some popularity for treating hot flashes, the research to date has not confirmed that GLA or EPO is beneficial for these symptoms. With that said, there are individual women who report improvement; therefore, it may be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about whether it is safe for you to try EPO or another form of GLA supplements to alleviate hot flashes.

Weight loss, particularly if you have a family history of obesity Alcoholism; EPO may help lessen cravings for alcohol and prevent liver damage. More research is needed in this area.
Other conditions for which EPO is currently under scientific investigation and may prove beneficial include breast cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, stomach ulcers, and inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis). While some test tube and animal studies seem promising, it is much too early to tell if EPO is helpful or harmful for these conditions.

Another condition for which a proprietary herbal product has gained popularity is cellulite. The product combines EPO with several different herbs including ginkgo, sweet clover, sea-weed, grape seed oil, and lecithin. A recent study of this product, however, found that it is no more effective than placebo in getting rid of cellulite.

The main active ingredient in EPO is an omega-6 fatty acid known as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). See What's It Made Of? for a brief description of GLA. Also, please see the monograph on the supplement GLA for detailed information about the science supporting the uses mentioned and other potential uses for GLA and EPO.

Evening primrose has served as both food and medicine at previous times throughout history, often for upset stomach and respiratory infections. Native Americans ate the boiled, nutty-flavored root, and used leaf poultices from the plant for bruises and hemorrhoids. European settlers took the root back to England and Germany, where it was introduced as food and became known as German rampion because it grew as a crawling vine. The plant was also a Shaker medicine, sold commercially.