Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil is a natural product from a herb called evening primrose, or suncups or sundrops. Its flowers open within less than a minute in the evening, hence the name "evening primrose". The leaves are usually yellow, but sometimes, can be white, pink, red or purple.

The young roots of the herb can be eaten as vegetables and the shoots are a salad. The whole plant has sedative properties. It is used in healing asthmatic cough, gastrointestinal disorders, whooping cough and as a pain-killer.

The evening primrose oil reduces the stress of premenstrual syndrome. It is considered effective against breast cancer. Some side effects of evening primrose are itching, sore throat or gassiness. One of the uses of evening primrose oil (EPO) is as a fertility herb. EPO contains linileic acid(LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), prostaglandin and vitamin E. It is rich in essential fatty acids of the omega 6 family acids which are conducive to regulate the hormone functions, growth and development.

Evening primrose oil helps to increase fertility as it regulates the ovulation menstrual cycle. It can help to produce fertile cervical mucus. If you find that you lack sufficient amount of fertile cervical mucus, evening primrose oil can help your body create the best environment for the sperm to survive by producing abundant and nourishing fertile cervical mucus. The cervical mucus is essential for fertility as it makes it possible the sperm to survive longer, to navigate and reach its destination. If your body is not producing fertile cervical mucus, the sperm can be trapped and never reach the egg.

Evening primrose oil also helps to soften the cervix and the opening of the cervix. This will help the sperm to travel tot he fallopian tubes. The softening of the cervix results from the prostaglandin in the evening primrose oil. Prostaglandin's are also present in the semen and helps to soften the cervix.

Myths about Evening Primrose Oil

EPO is does not cause contraction, as it is commonly thought. It is used in early labor, but what it does is softening the cervix and helping to open it, which helps dilation.

Since it does not cause contractions, it is safe to use evening primrose oil during early pregnancy and can be safely taken during the luteal phase of your cycle -- the second half of your menstrual period.

If you have frequent miscarriages, better consult with your doctor, before taking any herbs, including evening primrose oil.

If you are afraid of miscarriage because of evening primrose oil, you can stop using it once you ovulate. You can start taking omega 3 fats instead. Omega 6 and omega 3 fats work very well together. So using primrose oil in the first part of your cycle and then switching to omega 3 oil such as fish or flax seed oil is very good combination and a good choice for your body and overall health.

Evening primrose oil can be very effective to reduce any sensation of breast soreness, tenderness or pain,as it has anti-inflammatory properties and this can alleviate any discomforts during the last part of your cycle.

The dosage for fertility issues is between 1500 mg and 3000 mg per day taken by mouth in the morning. You should not take more than 8g in a 24 hour period. Consult a herbal specialist before taking evening primrose oil, so that the dosage is specific to your conditions.

You should not take evening primrose oil if you have bleeding or blood disorder, and do not use it with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs.

Watch the video about experience with evening primrose oil: