Active Ingredient Evening Primrose Oil (oenothera Biennis L.)

used in treatment of atopic eczema; also used as a dietary supplement; contains 72% linoleic & 7% linolenic acid

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: evening primrose oil (oenothera biennis l.)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
asthma	available evidence does not support the use of evening primrose oil as a treatment for asthma. further research is needed to confirm this conclusion.	d
attention deficit disorder of childhood with hyperactivity	small human studies show a lack of benefit from evening primrose oil in adhd. further research is needed to confirm this conclusion.	d
bronchitis not specified as acute or chronic	there is evidence that primrose oil, in combination with thyme, may have some benefits in the treatment of acute bronchitis. however, it is unclear if primrose alone is useful in treating bronchitis. more studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of primrose oil alone as a therapy for bronchitis.	c
cardiovascular disease unspecified	early study of evening primrose oil shows a lack of beneficial effects on cardiovascular function and health.	d
chronic fatigue syndrome	not enough information is available to advise the use of evening primrose oil for symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome or fatigue following a viral infection.	c
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	a small number of laboratory studies and theory suggests that evening primrose oil may be helpful in diabetes, but more information is needed before a firm recommendation can be made.	c
diabetes with neurological manifestations	gamma-linolenic acid (gla), one of the components of evening primrose oil, may be helpful in people with diabetic neuropathy. additional studies are needed before a strong recommendation can be made.	c
flushing	available studies do not show evening primrose oil to be helpful with these potential complications of menopause. more evidence of effectiveness is needed before primrose can be recommended as a treatment for menopausal symptoms.	d
ichthyosis congenita	not enough scientific information is available to advise the use of evening primrose oil for dry skin.	c
latent schizophrenia	results from studies of mixed quality do not support the use of evening primrose oil for schizophrenia. in contrast, fish oils have shown some promise in this disease, and further study is merited.	d
loss of weight	initial human study is unclear about the effects that evening primrose oil may have on weight loss.	c
malignant neoplasm of female breast	not enough information is available to advise the use of evening primrose oil for breast cancer. people with known or suspected breast cancer should consult with a qualified healthcare professional about possible treatments.	c
mastodynia	although primrose oil is used for breast pain in several european countries, high-quality human studies using this treatment are lacking. therefore, the available information does not allow recommendation for or against the use of primrose oil in this condition.	c
multiple sclerosis	it is theorized that primrose oil may be helpful in patients with ms based on laboratory studies. limited evidence is available in humans.	c
osteoporosis	primrose oil has been suggested as a possible treatment for bone loss/osteoporosis. however, osteoporosis studies using primrose oil as a treatment are lacking. well-designed human trials are needed before primrose oil can be recommended for osteoporosis therapy.	c
other atopic dermatitis and related conditions	there are several studies of evening primrose oil taken by mouth for eczema. large well-designed studies are needed before a strong recommendation can be made. evening primrose oil is approved for skin disorders in several countries outside of the united states.	b
pre-eclampsia or eclampsia superimposed on pre-existing hypertension	evening primrose oil is proposed to have effects on chemicals in the blood called prostaglandins, which may play a role in pre-eclampsia. however, more studies are needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn.	c
premenstrual tension syndromes	small human studies do not report that evening primrose oil is helpful for the symptoms of pms.	d
psoriasis and similar disorders	initial research does not show a benefit from evening primrose oil in the treatment of psoriasis.	d
raynaud's syndrome	not enough scientific information is available to advise the use of evening primrose oil for raynaud's phenomenon.	c
rheumatoid arthritis	benefits of evening primrose oil in the treatment of arthritis have not clearly been shown. more information is needed before a firm recommendation can be made.	c
solitary cyst of breast	the limited available research does not demonstrate that evening primrose oil has a significant effect on treating breast cysts.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.