Evening Primrose Oil
What is Evening Primrose Oil?
Evening Primrose Oil is an extract from the attractive yellow-plumed shrub that is native to North America and Europe. The shrub gets its name from the ever-elusive flowers that only bloom for one day! That’s right, a flower will open as the sun goes down and die away as the sun rises the next morning – it takes all kinds, huh?
The oil itself is extracted from these evening primroses, so that answers your questions as to why there is a tidy little price tag accompanying
How will this Evening Primrose Oil Help Me?
If you have inflamed skin of any description – burns, eczema, psoriases, rashes and even acne – look no further! If used as a topical application to affected skin regions, evening primrose oil will soften, moisturize, and reduce aggravating symptoms like itching, burning and pain. There is also some evidence to suggest that ingesting capsules of evening primrose oil will alleviate painful skin rashes, although more research is needed in this area before conclusive claims can be made.
There are a number of other reasons to swallow those evening primrose capsules though, so don’t be throwing them away! It is commonly used for lowering cholesterol and decreasing the likelihood of blood clots, and is therefore a prime candidate for reducing the risk of cardiac disease! That’s a pretty significant offering from a plant in this day and age where heart failure is a leading cause of death in developed nations.
There is also evidence to suggest that evening primrose oil is very useful when it comes to controlling symptoms that appear as part of a woman’s natural menstrual cycle – everything from breast tenderness to pre-menstrual syndrome to menopause!
So why all these wonderful benefits from a simple oil? Evening primrose oil is very rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that the body does not produce itself yet still needs! The oil is also rich in Gamma-linoleic acid, which our bodies use to produce hormone-like chemicals – this is probably why evening primrose oil is implicated in reducing painful symptoms appearing during a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Are There Any Side-Effects of Evening Primrose Oil?
Although well tolerated by most of us, it is possible to experience some side-effects from ingesting Evening Primrose Oil. There are a range of symptoms you may experience, but the worst of them are headaches, soft stools and nausea, as well as possible gastro-intestinal upsets. If any of your symptoms persist discontinue use, although it is very rare for someone to have any reaction at all when using evening primrose oil.
The use of evening primrose oil is not recommended during pregnancy simply because not enough is known at this stage to give the green light on safe use. As a precaution it’s probably best to avoid using evening primrose oil during your pregnancy.
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