Evening primrose organic oil comes from the cold compression of the seeds of the primrose, a wildflower that grows in eastern and central North America. The Native Americans and Europeans used it as food. However, the oil is actually high in essential fatty acids, like omega-6 fatty acid, which greatly supports hormonal health, skin, hair and bones.

It is important for the human body to get a healthy dose of essential fatty acids, because the body ultimately can not produce them, thus it has to come from the foods and supplements that we consume. When taken, evening primrose oil brings a whole range of health and therapeutic benefits due to their high concentration of gamma-linolenic acid.

Discover the health benefits of evening primrose oil by reading more below!

Health Benefits of Evening Primrose Organic Oil:

1. Balances Hormone Levels

One of the most popular and well-known benefits of evening primrose oil is its ability to regulate hormone levels, especially in females. This is because omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid (LA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) helps to support and regulate overall hormonal function in the female body.

Therefore, this helps women deal with premenstrual symptoms such as breast tenderness, bloating, acne, mood swings and other symptoms which are brought about by hormonal changes. In fact, a 1991 study conducted by researchers from Denmark reported how these symptoms actually subsided after taking evening primrose oil supplements orally.

Not only that, since it helps to balance and regulate hormone levels, this helps to prevent a whole range of endocrine and hormone-related diseases like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which can be debilitating and even life-threatening if left untreated.

2. Helps Boost Fertility Levels

Related to the above point, taking evening primrose oil is also great for women who are trying to get pregnant naturally. It increases cervical mucus, which is essential for successful fertilization and subsequent reproduction since the sperm needs to be able to swim freely.

Additionally, the high level of essential fatty acids acts as a tonic for the uterus, as it tones up the uterine muscle linings, thus preparing for pregnancy. As such, if you are trying to get pregnant, you can take evening primrose oil.

However, if you are already pregnant and in your first trimester, then the contraction and relaxation of the uterine muscle tissues might be problematic for you, and you should speak to your doctor before using the oil.

A 1991 study carried out by researchers from the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management from Sweden also found that evening primrose oil may exhibit fertility effects on males too, as the litter size of the blue foxes increased, mainly as an effect of male treatment. Thus, this suggests that the oil might also have an effect on semen quality as well!

3. Helps to Treat Acne

Acne can be an annoying condition which is mainly caused by hormonal imbalances in the body. As such, it can actually be treated naturally, especially for women who experience acne whenever their menstrual cycle draws near.

The omega-6 fatty acids present in evening primrose oil helps to deal with hormone levels and thus, it helps to alleviate your hormonal acne issues in the process. It also helps to stimulate skin growth, repair and regeneration, strengthens skin barrier, reduces moisture loss and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects to improve the overall appearance of your complexion.

As such, try consuming evening primrose oil or applying it topically onto your skin to stimulate the healing process and to manage hormone levels so that hormonal acne can be alleviated.

4. Eases Other Skin Conditions

Evening primrose oil can also help to alleviate other skin conditions besides acne, such as eczema, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, which are all partly caused by a lack of essential fatty acids, hormonal changes and poor diet.

The oil helps to regulate hormone levels, improves digestion and also exhibits anti-inflammatory effects to reduce swelling and redness, thus combating such skin problems.

A 2008 study published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology found that treatment of evening primrose oil drastically helped patients who had atopic dermatitis. The study reported that at the end of 5 months of treatment, 96% of the patients showed improvement and no significant adverse effects was reported by any patient. As such, it is a safe and effective medicine in the management of atopic dermatitis.

5. Helps Prevent Hair Loss

Even hair loss is caused by changes in hormonal levels, which can be alleviated with evening primrose oil. For males, the primary hormonal cause of hair loss is due to the hair follicles’ sensitivity to a hormone called DHT which causes follicles to shrink and hair to fall. For females, hair loss is due to high levels of stress, hormonal imbalance or thyroid conditions.

Luckily, evening primrose oil can help to combat hair loss as the GLA present in the oil can be highly effective in alleviating this problem. Try consuming the oil or even rubbing the oil topically onto your hair for thicker and stronger hair!

6. Helps Alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis

Evening primrose oil has also been seen to be efficacious in treating rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by sore or stiff joints on both sides of the body, such as both knees, both feet or both wrists. It is caused by a mix of factors, such as genetic, environmental and hormonal factors.

A study published in Arthritis Research UK reported that 94% of the participants who had evening primrose oil had a significant improvement in pain levels and morning stiffness, which are symptoms of the affliction. However, it might take a few months of repeated usage for the benefits to manifest.

7. Helps Alleviate Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is characterized by small holes or weakened areas in the bones, thus making the person more susceptible to fractures, pain and a Dowager’s hump. The major cause of it is actually low levels of sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone.

As has been established, evening primrose oil can help with this problem because of its intrinsic ability to regulate hormone levels. A 1998 study conducted by researchers from the University of Pretoria in South Africa demonstrates how GLA (which is present in the oil), combined with eicosapentaenoic acid can help to increase femoral bone density and lumbar spine density. This suggests that the GLA component in the oil has beneficial effects on bone health, and they are safe to be administered for prolonged periods of time.

How to Use Evening Primrose Oil:

Evening primrose oil is safe to be taken internally, and it is commonly found in capsule form. However, when taking the oil internally, it is wise to consult your doctor for the appropriate amount of dose as different ailments might require different amounts of dosages.

Be sure not to consume the oil excessively because this might induce side effects which includes nausea, stomach pain, loose stools and even headaches. If you have pre-existing medical conditions (such as seizure attacks) or are under prescribed medication (such as blood thinning, blood pressure or seizure medications), then do speak to your doctor first before taking the oil internally as the oil might interact with the prescribed drugs to produce unwanted side effects.

Evening primrose oil is also a mild-based carrier oil which can be applied directly onto the skin or hair to treat various skin conditions or prevent hair loss as abovementioned. However, it is still wise to do a skin patch test prior to direct application onto affected parts to check for any sensitive or allergic reactions. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of the oil into your daily skincare or haircare products to augment the health of your skin and hair.

If you are pregnant or are going into labour and would like to use evening primrose oil, do speak to your doctor first as well. Usage of the oil should be avoided 2 weeks prior to going to surgeries with general anaesthesia since it might increase the risks of seizures.

References:

Schafer L, Kragballe K, “Supplementation with evening primrose oil in atopic dermatitis: effect on fatty acids in neutrophils and epidermis”, Lipids (1991); 26(7)

Tauson AH, Forsberg M, “Effect of evening primrose oil as food supplement on reproduction in the blue fox”, PubMed (1991); 32(3)

Senapati S, Banerjee S, Gangopadhyay DN, “Evening primrose oil is effective in atopic dermatitis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial”, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (2008); 74(5)

“Evening primrose oil trials for rheumatoid arthritis”, Arthritis Research UK

Kruger MC, et al., “Calcium-gamma-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation in senile osteoporosis” PubMed (1998); 10(5)