The Evening Primrose Oil was a late discovery. The plant arrived in Europe in 1619 and was planted in the Padua Botanic Gardens of Italy. The botanical name comes from oinos, since other members of this genus were used by the Greeks to flavour wine. It was not often used in folk medicine, because the concentrated oil was probably not available till the 1980's when it received medical acclaim.

GLA, a constituent acid, is responsible for many of the herb's properties. It is an anticoagulant that is thought to reduce high blood pressure, prevent heart attacks, and guard against coronary artery disease. When a 1981 clinical study at the St. Thomas Hospital in London gave Evening Primrose oil to 65 women with premenstrual syndrome, 61% of the participants found their symptoms completely disappeared and another 23% felt partial relief. Those who suffered from sore breasts noted the most improvement. There was noticeable improvement in the skin conditions of 99 people with eczema when they were treated with Evening Primrose Oil in a double-blind study. In another study, the oil was found to improve dry and brittle nails. In 1987, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary of Scotland saw improvement in 60% of its rheumatoid arthritis* patients who took a combination of Evening Primrose oil and fish oil instead of their regular drugs. A study by the Highland Psychiatric Research Group at the Craig Dunain Hospital, Inverness, Scotland, found that Evening Primrose encouraged regeneration of liver cells damaged by alcohol consumption. Evening Primrose Oil is also known to ease constipation and promote regularity. The list goes on..... Evening Primrose Oil has many positive effects on a diversity of ailments.