Evening Primrose Oil Benefits

All of the following conditions may benefit from supplementation with Evening Primrose Oil. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, consult a health professional before using EPO or any health supplement.

• Heart disease, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, obesity, asthma, diabetes and related nerve damage.
• Inflammatory and auto-immune conditions such as rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodermatitis, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS), scleroderma, alopecia, psoriasis, allergies and chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Other degenerative diseases including breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, alcoholism, schizophrenia and osteoporosis.
• Women’s health issues such as PMS, preconception, preeclampsia, breast pain (mastalgia), fibrocystic breast disease, endometriosis and menopausal symptoms, e.g. hot flushes.
• Gastrointestinal disorders including ulcerative colitis, IBS and peptic ulcers.
• Skin disorders including eczema, acne and hives.
• Learning and behavioural disorders including dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD.
• Depression and tremors from lithium use in bipolar disorder.
• Connective tissue disorders e.g. Raynaud’s syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome.
• Whooping cough.
• Male infertility and male pattern baldness.

Evening Primrose Oil Side Effects and Contraindications

• Within the recommended dosage range EPO is a safe supplement with very few adverse effects reported.
• Nausea, stomach pain and headache can occur if taken on an empty stomach and diarrhoea may occur at high dosages, indicating the need to reduce intake.
• Contraindicated for anyone with epilepsy because GLA increases the body’s prostaglandin levels, lowering the threshold for seizures.
• Contraindicated for anyone taking blood thinning drugs such as warfarin or aspirin due to the anti-clotting action of prostaglandins.
• If you take any type of medical drug it’s important to consult your health practitioner about possible drug interactions before supplementing with EPO.