Evening Primrose as Brain Food

Evening primrose oil is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose plant and then put into capsules for use. While evening primrose is commonly used to treat skin diseases such as eczema, evening primrose also has benefits for the brain. However, while evening primrose is comprised of ingredients that are beneficial for brain health and development, its effectiveness treating certain brain disorders have not been fully proven by the FDA.

Benefits

• Evening primrose contains omega-6 essential fatty acids and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Omega-6 fatty acids are necessary for human health, but cannot be synthesized by the human body. Combined with omega-3 fatty acids, these essential fatty acids promote brain growth and development, as well as normal activity. Both of these essential fatty acids are classified as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and also aid in stimulating skin and hair growth, maintaining healthy bones, regulating metabolism and reproductive abilities.

  Gamma-linolenic acid is also an omega-6 essential fatty acid and is thought to be the active ingredient in evening primrose. While GLA can be obtained directly through evening primrose, black current seed oil and borage oil, linoleic acid is converted to gamma-linolenic acid in the body, then further processed into arachidonic acid. The healthy balance between omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids should be between 1:1 to 4:1, with the amount of omega-3 fatty acid consumption higher.

Side Effects

• Some people may have mild side effects from taking evening primrose. Side effects include gastrointestinal upset, such as loose stool and abdominal pain, headaches and nausea. A skin rash is also possible in people who have allergies to plants in the Onagraceae family.

  There have been reports of seizures occurring in users of evening primrose; however, these users usually have a previous seizure disorder or are also taking anesthetics. When taking evening primrose, it is best to avoid certain medications, like chlorpromazine (Thorazine), thioridazine (Mellaril), trifluoperazine (Stelazine) and fluphenazine (Prolixin) in order to reduce the risk of seizures. In addition, people who will be receiving anesthetics for surgery should cease taking evening primrose at least two weeks prior.

Disorders

• The use of evening primrose to treat various brain disorders does not have enough supporting evidence to be backed by the FDA as a treatment. Multiple laboratory studies have been done on treating multiple sclerosis with evening primrose, but there is limited evidence of its benefits on humans. The studies on schizophrenia treatment with evening primrose have been mixed, but testing with fish oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, has produced better results. Small ADHD studies on humans have shown a lack of benefit, but further research is still needed to solidify these findings.