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Picture of
Evening Primrose
USA, Nevada, Valley of Fire State Park,
cespitose evening primrose
200390220-001 Photographers Choice
Royalty Free Photograph
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Bankoro, Noni, Immune System Builder |
Primrose - Evening Primrose
is a plant native to North America, but it grows in Europe and parts of the
Southern hemisphere as well. It has yellow flowers that bloom in the evening.
Evening primrose oil contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an
essential fatty acid. Essential fatty acids are required by the body for growth
and development, and must be obtained from the diet.
Common Names--evening primrose oil, EPO
Latin Name--Oenothera biennis
- What Evening Primrose Is Used For
- Evening primrose oil has been used since the 1930s for
eczema (a condition in which the skin becomes inflamed, itchy, or scaly
because of allergies or other irritation).
- More recently it has been used for other conditions
involving inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
- Evening primrose oil is used for conditions affecting
women's health, such as breast pain associated with the menstrual cycle,
menopausal symptoms, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- It is used during pregnancy in attempts to shorten the
duration of labor.
Other conditions for which evening primrose oil is used include cancer and
diabetes.
- Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
- How Evening Primrose Is Used
Evening primrose oil is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose. The
oil is usually put into capsules for use.
- What the Science Says about Evening Primrose
- Evening primrose oil may have modest benefits for eczema,
and it may be useful for rheumatoid arthritis and breast pain. However,
study results are mixed, and most studies have been small and not well
designed.
- Evening primrose oil does not appear to affect menopausal
symptoms.
- Although some clinical trials have shown a benefit of
evening primrose oil for PMS, the best-designed trials found no effect.
- There is not enough evidence to support the use of
evening primrose oil for other health conditions
- Side Effects and Cautions of Evening Primrose
- Evening primrose oil is well tolerated by most people.
Mild side effects include gastrointestinal upset and headache.
- Evening primrose oil appears to be safe for use during
pregnancy, but data are limited.
- Tell your health care providers about any complementary
and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do
to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
-
Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
-
Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
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