298 /EUROPEAN WATER HEMLOCK FDR FOR HERBAL MEDICINESpotentials: a comparative study on the mechanism of the
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Further information in:
Frohne D. Pfander HJ: Giftpflanzen - Ein Handbuch fur
Apotheker. Toxikologen und Biologen, 4. Aufl., Wiss.
Verlagsges. mbH Stuttgart 1997.
Kern W. List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der
Pharmazeutischen Praxis. 4. Aufl., Bde 1-8, Springer Verlag
Berlin. Heidelberg. New York. 1969.
Lewin L. Girte und Vergiftungen, 6. Aufl., Nachdruck, Haug
Verlag. Heidelberg 1992.
Madaus G. Lehrbuch der Biologischen Arzneimittel, Bde 1-3,
Nachdruck. Georg Olms Verlag Hildesheim 1979.
Roth L, Daunderer M, Kormann K, Giftpflanzen, Pflanzengifte,
4.Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993.
Teuscher E. Lindequist U. Biogene Gifte - Biologie, Chemie.
Pharmakologie. 2. Aufl.. Fischer Verlag Stuttgart 1994.
Teuscher E. Biogene Arzneimittel, 5. Aufl., Wiss. Verlagsges.
mbH Stuttaart 1997.Evening Primrose
Oenothera biennis
TRADE NAMES
Evening Primrose Oil Capsules (available from numerous
manufacturers), Mega Primrose Oil, Oil of Evening Prim-
rose. Original Primrose for Women, Royal Brittany Evening
Primrose Oil
DESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the fatty oil
extracted from the ripe seeds and the fresh plant gathered at
the beginning of the flowering season.Flower and Fruit: The fragrant flowers are 2 to 3 cm long
and are solitary in the leaf axils. The open ones are lower
than the buds. The sepals are lanceolate, acuminate, turned
down, thin, more or less pale green and smooth on the
outside with a few scattered hairs. The petals are obovate.
The ovary is inferior. The style has a 4-sectioned stigma. The
fruit is a linear-oblong, quadrangular, downy-villous capsule
that's up to 3 cm long. The seeds are 1.5 mm long, dark gray
to black with irregular sharp edges.
Leaves, Stem and Root: This biennial grows up to 1 m and
has a spindle-shaped, fleshy, turnip-like root, which pro-
duces leaf rosettes in the first year. The stem is erect,
unbranched or branched higher up and angular. The ovary is
a capsule covered in short glandular hairs, with simple, light
hairs on the purple papilla. The cauline leaves are short-
petioled or sessile, often hanging, oblong-lanceolate, point-
ed, irregular and finely dentate.
Characteristics: The flowers are fragrant and open in the
evening.
Habitat: Originally indigenous to North America, it is now
naturalized throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia.
Production: Evening Primrose oil is the fatty seed oil of
Oenothera biennis. The oil is extracted by means of a cold-
extraction process, which involves hexane in steel or glass-
lined tanks. The extract is washed and the solvent removed
using low pressure.Other Names: Fever Plant, King's Cureall, Night Willow-
herb, Scabish, Sun Drop
ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS
Fatty oil: chief fatty acids linoleic acid (65-80%), gamma-
linolenic acid (8-14%), oleic acid (6-11%), palmitic acid (7-
10%)
EFFECTS
Gamma-linolenic acid (a component in Evening Primrose
oil) is converted to dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and then to
prostaglandin El (PGE1) in-vivo by the enzyme delta-6-
desaturase. PGE1 has anti-inflammatory and cell membrane
stabilizer activity in the body. Evening Primrose oil supple-
ments provide increased levels of dihomo-gamma-linolenic
acid in the blood of people with a deficiency of the enzyme
delta-6-desaturase. Gamma-linolenic acid is also a compo-
nent in breast milk, but is not added to infant formulas. It has
been postulated that gamma-linolenic acid may be beneficial
to neural development in breast-fed infants (Newall, 1996).A review of the literature involving human trials shows that
EPO has not been effective in the treatment of atopic asthma,
weight loss, atopic dermatitis, arthritis, attention deficit
disorder, diabetes or premenstrual syndrome. Animal studies
have demonstrated benefits in treating hypertension, throm-
bosis, hypercholesterolemia and platelet aggregation.CLINICAL TRIALS
MastalgiaA retrospective study covering seven years involving 566
women with cyclical breast pain (mastalgia) was performed.
Most women were first treated with Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine
HCL) 100 mg daily for a 3-month period. Those that did not