Evening Primrose Oil

• What other names is Evening Primrose Oil known by?
• What is Evening Primrose Oil?
• Is Evening Primrose Oil effective?
• How does Evening Primrose Oil work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Evening Primrose Oil

What other names is Evening Primrose Oil known by?

Cis-Linoleic Acid, EPO, Evening Primrose, Evening Primrose Seed Oil, Fever Plant, Huile D'Onagre, King's Cureall, Night Willow-Herb, Oil of Evening Primrose, Primrose, Primrose Oil, Oenothera biennis, Oenothera muricata, Oenothera purpurata, Oenothera rubricaulis, Oenothera suaveolens, Onagra biennis, Scabish, Sun Drop.

What is Evening Primrose Oil?

Evening primrose oil is the oil from the seed of the evening primrose plant.

Is Evening Primrose Oil effective?

There is some scientific evidence that evening primrose oil can relieve breast pain. It might also help improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis after 6 months of treatment.

Evening primrose oil does not seem to help the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but it might be able to prevent PMS-related flare-ups of the symptoms of a condition called irritable bowel syndrome.

Evening primrose oil does not prevent high blood pressure due to pregnancy. It does not shorten labor, and it does not prevent babies being born after their due date.

Evening primrose oil does not relieve hot flashes due to menopause.

There isn’t enough information to know if evening primrose oil is effective for the other conditions people use it for, including: acne, multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many others.

Possibly Effective for...

• Breast pain.
• Osteoporosis, when used in combination with calcium and fish oils.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
• Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Reducing symptoms of a kind of skin disorder called atopic dermatitis (eczema).
• Hot flashes due to menopause.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• High blood pressure due to pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), shortening labor in pregnant women, chronic fatigue syndrome, acne, multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, Alzheimer's disease, and other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

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