Uses for Evening Primrose

Evening primrose is a North American native biennial plant with flowers that open in the evening and close during the day. They are found east of the Rockies to the Atlantic Ocean in the United States. The entire plant is edible and the oil found in the seeds is used for a wide array of medicinal purposes. Evening primrose has a long history of use as a medicinal plant and was a staple food for many Native American tribes. Leaves can be cooked and eaten as salad greens while the roots can be boiled like potatoes. Taking the oil of evening primrose has the same positive health effects as eating the leaves, roots, flowers and seeds.

Skin Problems

• Use evening primrose tea for treatment of skin problems.

  Boiling the leaves, roots, and stems of evening primrose in water makes a tea considered very beneficial to the skin. Use three tablespoons of fresh herb or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried herb in one cup of water to make tea. Drink the tea or apply it externally when cooled to treat eczema, acne, dry skin rashes and itchiness and general skin health. The finely ground powder of the stems is used in face masks to treat skin redness. The bark and leaves of evening primrose are used to make astringents and also has use as a sedative.

Pregnancy And PMS

• Evening primrose oil can help with infertility.

  Evening primrose oil is taken to increase fertility in women. The essential fatty acids found in evening primrose help produce healthy cervical fluid and also contributes to uterine health, including prolonging the life of sperm and increasing the chances of egg fertilization. Discontinue taking the oil after conception as it can cause uterine contractions. Flax seed oil is considered a good substitute. Women who suffer from PMS usually have lower amounts of the main essential fatty acid found in evening primrose, gamma-linoleine acid (GLA). This acid is not found in many plants but has "numerous vital functions in the body," according to the Wise4Living website. Taking primrose oil supplements cause the body to make less prostaglandins, which causes uterine inflammation. It also helps with breast tenderness and helps women with fibrocystic breasts better absorb iodine.

Other Medicinal Uses

• Evening primrose oil can help with chronic headaches.

  The GLA found in evening primrose oil is an essential fatty acid not made by the body. Evening primrose oil has been used for treatment of asthma, chronic headaches, hypertension, whooping cough, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, prostate health, cirrhosis of the liver, health problems from diabetes and poor circulation, and has been used to keep the arteries from hardening and in lowering cholesterol. It helps relieve pain and inflammation and is beneficial to the body's metabolism and nervous system. Evening primrose oil has also been used as an effective treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. A tea made from the roots will help with obesity.