Evening primrose oil is the oil extracted from the seeds of the plant, Oenothera biennis, a North American wildflower. Famliy: Onagraceae Evening Primrose oil Since the 18th century Palmarosa has been distilled and adulterated in order to be passed off as Rose essential oil. Because of this it has received a bad reputation. once you get the real thing you will discover that it is a marvelous oil filled with a beautiful scent and the ability to help you grow, shift, and change with the world around you. Indian doctors prescribed Palmarosa oil to fight infection and lower fever. They added it to curry dishes to kill bacteria and aid in digestion Conclusion Evening primrose oil (EPO) is commonly used as a rich source of omega-3 and 6 gamma linoleic acids (GLA), palmitic acid, amino acids, vitamin-C, etc. EPO is often used for several women's health conditions viz. breast pain, menopausal and premenstrual symptoms, atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Low levels ofGLA have been found in women with pre menopausal syndrome (PMS). Supplementing with EPO increases the prostaglandin (PGE1), that helps in reduction of PMO. Apart from this, deficiency in essential fatty acid lead to release of hormone prolactin in women responsible for symptoms of PMS. It is also known for its use in the treatment of systemic diseases marked by chronic inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis. EPO also soothes inflammation and can be used in dandruff application. EPO is well tolerated, with minor adverse effects, like gastrointestinal upset and headaches. HISTORY 65% linolenic acid Vitamin E and 10 % essential fatty acid. Amino acid and phenyl-alanine • gamma linolenic acid in the oil may lower inflammation and this can, in turn, improve some of the symptoms of PMS. GLA • The anti-inflammatory property of evening primrose oil is due to gamma linolenic acid. Gamma linolenic acid is used to synthesize the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin known asPGE1 • The increased production of PGE1 is the reason why evening primrose oil relieves the joint pain associated with arthritis Inflammation • PGE1 lowers the levels of prolactin, a pituitary hormone released to promote breast development and lactation. • Excessively high levels of prolactin have been reported in some women while they experienced PMS. In addition, this hormone has been linked to some of the symptoms of PMS especially breast tenderness. PGE1 GLA, Inflammation and PGE1 Chemical constituent Mechanism of action. EPO is a rich source of the ω-6 essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, and GLA. Essential fatty acids are incorporated into cell membranes where they play a vital role in the structure of cell membranes, influencing membrane flexibility, fluidity, and the behavior of membrane-bound proteins. Essential fatty acids serve as a source of eicosanoids. Consumption of GLA (18:3 ω-6) favors an increase in the dihomogammalinolenic acid (DGLA) content of cell membranes without a corresponding increase the arachidonic acid concentration. 1 Ingestion of EPO elevates concentrations of DGLA (20:3 ω-6), enhancing production of eicosanoids of the prostaglandin 1 series (PG1). In addition, DGLA, which itself cannot be converted to leukotrienes, can form a 15-hydroxyl derivative that blocks the transformation of arachidonic acid to leukotrienes. Increased DGLA may act as a competitive inhibitor of the proinflammatory eicosanoids, prostaglandin 2 and leukotriene 4 series produced from arachidonic acid (20:4 ω-6) . Membranes rich in DGLA favor formation of the prostaglandin 1 series of eicosanoids and reduce leukotriene synthesis. Membranes rich in DGLA favor a less inflammatory state. Evening Primrose Oil, Hormones and Neurotransmitters EPO Omega 6 fatty acid and vitamin c Linolenic acid and palmetic acid. How evening primrose oil helps in cyclical mastalgia. GLA VITAMIN E. ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENT Evening Primrose Oil in Children and Adolescents with Atopic Dermatitis. •It has been proposed that delta-6-desaturase is defective in AD patients. •This defect has been found to cause lower serum concentrations of GLA, dihomo-gamma- linolenic acid (DGLA), arachidonic acid (AA) and prostaglandin E1/E2 (PGE1, PGE2) in AD patients. •It has also been claimed that low concentrations of PGE1 and PGE2 play a major role in the pathogenesis of atopic disease. omega-6-essential fatty acids leads to an inflammatory skin condition in both animals and humans. Linoleic acid concentrations tend to be elevated in the blood, milk and adipose tissue of AD patients, whereas the concentrations of linoleic acid metabolites are substantially reduced. This suggests a reduced conversion of linoleic acid to GLA2. Linoleic acid is converted to GLA (18 :3, n-6) by the action of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase, and GLA is elongated into the DGLA form (20:3, n-3). The precursor of prostaglandin H1 (PGH1), which in turn forms PGE1 and thromboxane A1 (TXA1). DGLA is also converted to AA (20:4, n-6) by the action of the enzyme delta-5- desaturase. AA forms the precursor of PGE2, thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4)11. Delta-6- desaturase production. which catalyzes linoleic acid to produce GLA, DGLA and AA, has been reported to be defective in AD patients Evening Primrose Oil and Other Symptoms of PMS Besides the emotional symptoms, evening primrose oil may also reduce some of the physical symptoms of PMS. The oil is often used to treat migraine headache and joint pain. Therefore, it can reduce aches, pain and fatigue associated with PMS. evening primrose oil has been used to treat acne and rosaceous. It does reduce sebum production as well as inflammation in the skin. Since acne often breaks out during PMS in some women, evening primrose oil may help prevent chronic acne. EPO in rheumatoid arthritis References: •Richard E. Kast; primrose oil reduction of rheumatoid arthritis activity may be mediated by increased cAMP that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, UniÕersity of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA Received 7 May 2001; received in revised form 31 July 2001; accepted 21 August 2001 •Bo Young Chung, Jin Hye Kim, Soo Ick Cho, In Su Ahn, Hye One Kim, Chun Wook Park, Cheol Heon Lee; Dose- Dependent Effects of Evening Primrose Oil inChildren and Adolescents with Atopic Dermatitis. •Sandhya pruthi,MD;Dietlind L. Whaner,MD; et al, Vitamin E AND Evenning Primerose oil for Management of Cyclical Mastalgia Evening Primrose oil Refrences: