What is Evening Primrose Oil? Evening primrose is a wildflower that has been used for centuries as as food and medicine. Native Americans ate the root of the flower and used the leaves as medicine for bruises and hemorrhoids. Early European settlers were believed to be the means by which the plant reached England and Germany. In Germany, the flower is used widely as a food is known as German rampion. The oil from the plant, Evening Primrose Oil, also dubbed Oenothera biennis, or sun drop, is found in the seeds of the flower. It contains a high concentration of essential fatty acids (up to 25%), mainly linoleic acid (LA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Both LA and GLA belong to the omega-6 family of fatty acids. Some members of the family are harmful to health while others carry substantial health benefits, especially when used in a balanced proportion to omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in salmon. Nowadays, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are often extracted and sold as health supplement capsules.
Medicinal Uses
Evening Primrose Oil has been reported effective for rashes, particularly skin rash or hives (itching), and eczema. Evening Primrose Oil can also help with symptoms of PMS, including mood swings, bloating, and breast tenderness. Although it has been used for arthritis, clinical studies have failed to provide scientific evidence for its benefits in arthritis. It is also used for diabetic neuropathy where patients complain of tingling, burning, or "pins and needles", as well as loss of sensation in their hands and feet. In Europe. Evening Primrose Oil is most widely used as the first line treatment for breast pain (or in medical terms, mastalgia). Some patients also use it for breast cysts. It is also a popular remedy for hot flashes, and other menopausal symptoms.
Precautions
Evening Primrose Oil is considered very safe when used in recommended dosages. Side effects are rare and mild. These include nausea, stomach upset, diarrhoea and headache. Its use is not advisable in individuals who suffer from seizures because there have been sporadic reports of these omega-6 oil supplements inducing seizures. It is also contra-indicated in individuals with bleeding problems and blood diseases. Evening Primrose Oil may alter the effects of some prescription and non-prescription medications. Individuals taking a class of medications called phenothiazines (such as chlorpromazine, fluphenazine, perphenazine, promazine, and thioridazine) to treat schizophrenia should not take Evening Primrose Oil because it may interact with these medications and increase the risk of seizures. It may also interact with some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants and antiplatelet medicines.
The Take Home Message
Evening Primrose Oil is a useful herb to be considered a safe first line non-prescription drug to relief symptoms of breast pain and post-menopausal syndrome. Its use can also be considered in the management of the other disorders listed above, in the absence of the contraindications outlined above.
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Benson Yeung - General Surgeon born in the sixties, grew up in Hong Kong, won numerous writing awards in primary and secondary schools, educated in ...
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