* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis L.
Family: Onagraceae.
Other Names: Onagre bisannuelle (French); Gemeine Nachtkerze (German); enothera (Italian).
Description: Evening primrose is a biennial or short-lived perennial forming a basal rosette of leaves in the first year, and a sturdy flowering stalk (up to 1.5 m) in the second-year. The large, yellow, tubular flowers open in the evening and are pollinated by moths. Numerous minute seeds are produced in oblong seed capsules (up to 150,000 seeds per plant).
Origin: North America (from Canada to Florida and Mexico). The plant has become a roadside weed in many parts of the world and an important cash crop for the production of evening primrose oil. The total world production of the seed is estimated at 4000 tons.
Parts Used: Seeds (seed oil; Oenotherae biennis oleum).
Therapeutic Category: Nutritional supplement (treatment of atopic eczema).
Uses and Properties: The seed oil contains high levels of a polyunsaturated fatty acid known as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is taken for the symptomatic relief of skin disorders, especially atopic eczema (but also in cases of pruritus and skin inflammations). It is said to have benefits in irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal problems, circulatory and rheumatic disorders.
Preparation and Dosage: A daily dose of 2 - 3 g is recommended (sometimes as much as 3 - 5 g of oil per day). Capsules are available that contain 0.5 g of oil corresponding to 40 mg of GLA.
Active Ingredients: Seeds contain up to 25% oil, of which about 8-14% is GLA (the rest, 60-80% is linoleic acid).
Pharmacological Effects: GLA is one essential fatty acids required by humans to maintain normal body function, because it is a precursor of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, from which prostaglandins and leucotrienes derive. The latter are hormone-like substances that affect cholesterol levels, dilation of blood vessels and inflammation. Some people (about 10-20% of the population), especially those with neurodermatitis, are apparently deficient in the enzyme that converts linoleic acid to gamma-linoleic acid. Several clinical trials have shown the efficacy of GLA in treating eczema.
Notes: High levels of GLA have also been found in borage and blackcurrant seeds.
Status: Pharm.; WHO 2; clinical studies+.
Medicinal Usage
In recent years this pretty plant has become a focus of medical research. One line of investigation reveals that the plant may have an anti-clotting factor that would make it useful in the prevention of heart attacks caused by thrombosis - the blocking of a blood vessel by a blood clot.
In 1982 the distinguished British medical journal the Lancet published findings that oil of evening primrose might help people suffering from atopic eczema, or eczema due to allergy. Another study indicated that the oil might help people suffering from other atopic diseases such as asthma and from migraine.
In modern herbal medicine the plant mucilage is used in cough remedies to help inhibit coughing and in external preparations to soothe skin eruptions. It is also advocated as an astringent for healing wounds and as an antispasmodic. The seed oil has been shown to alleviate inflammations in experimental animal studies.
General Herb Information
As daylight wanes, and the evening grows cool, the shiny yellow petals of the evening primose unfurl, and it exudes a perfume that attracts the nocturnal sphinx moth, which pollinates it. By daybreak the flowers have faded, and new blossoms open the next evening.
Habitat: Dry soils; meadows; old fields, roadsides, and other waste places.
Range: A North American native, evening primrose is found from Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to Texas and Florida, and west to North Dakota and Idaho.
Identification: An erect biennial herb, growing 3 - 6 feet tall from a rosette of basal leaves during the first year. A hairy stem bears alternate lance-shaped leaves. During the second year showy, yellow, four-petaled flowers (June-October), about 2 inches across, bloom in diminished light or in the dark.
User Group Forum
Share your questions and information with the ZooScape community!
alexander - June 2, 2006, 23:25
#10000710
what is primrose? and where it comes from?
ZooScape Moderator - June 7, 2006, 15:42
#10000760
Evening Primrose is also known by the names Primrose, Evening Star, Fever Plant, Night Willow Herb, Scabish, Scurvish, Field Primrose, and German Rampion. Evening Primrose is a plant that is indigenous to North America, but is now found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. The parts of this plant used medicinally are the seeds, leaves, oil of the seeds, and root. This plant is called Evening Primrose because its flowers open at night so that they can be pollinated by nighttime insects such as the nocturnal sphinx moth. The genus name Oenothera is derived from "oines", meaning "wine", and "thera", meaning "hunt". Evening Primrose has long been used as a relish for wine, and to dispel the ill effects from drinking too much. Evening Primrose was also known as "King's Cure-All" for at least 500 years.
Traditionally, Evening Primrose had been used as a soothing remedy for coughs associated with colds. It had also been used for mental depression, its effectiveness perhaps due to its stimulating effect on the liver, spleen, and digestive system. Evening Primrose can also be made into an ointment, useful for rashes and other types of skin irritations.
Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
