Evening Primrose Oil for PMS

[Guest guest]

Evening Primrose LATIN NAME: Oenothera biennis

FAMILY NAME: Onagraceae

by Dr. Duke

During a recent trip to Costa Rica, I overheard two women, both pharmacists, discussing the effectiveness of evening primrose oil for premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

One said she faithfully took one capsule of evening primrose oil (EPO) daily for about two weeks every month and then upped the dosage to four capsules daily a week before menstruation. She stayed on the quadruple dose until her period was over. Her herbal regimen worked so well that she'd passed it along to five female co-workers.

"We've been working together so long that our periods are almost synchronized," she said. "I hate to imagine what would happen without evening primrose oil. Think of all of us with PMS at the same time each month!"

Women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome endure varying degrees of monthly misery. They report such symptoms as water retention, breast soreness, cramping, diarrhea, irritability, chronic headaches, and tension.

Up to 50 percent of menstruating women experience some symptoms of PMS, sometimes severe enough to be temporarily debilitating. Experts think the cause is linked to hormonal fluctuations and the body's inability to properly metabolize fatty acids.

As a botanist who's done a lot of research on evening primrose, I'm convinced it's an effective, natural premenstrual syndrome reliever. At my lectures, I frequently encourage women to try it, and I've shown many of them--including my own daughter--how to gather and chew evening primrose seeds just as Native American women once did.

Doctors in Great Britain, where evening primrose is approved for treating PMS and other health conditions, agree with me. There, the firm Scotia Pharmaceuticals has invested $80 million in researching evening primrose.

But here in the United States, a surprising number of women still don't know that this highly effective herbal remedy is within reach, even though it's readily available in health food stores. I blame the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which prohibits labeling evening primrose as a natural PMS helper because it's still not an approved remedy in this country.

Instead of discounting British research studies supporting evening primrose, the FDA should take steps to recognize what many herb experts already know: Evening primrose works, and it's at least as safe as coffee.

In the meantime, I'm doing my part to get the word out. Even if you're not a PMS sufferer, evening primrose can be helpful for conditions that affect men and women alike. It's rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a substance useful in treating a number of conditions including endometriosis, autoimmune disorders, benign prostatic hypertrophy, eczema, diabetes, and migraines.

 

 

Diana Gonzalez

 

 

 

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