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The Many Benefits of Evening Primrose Oil
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Evening Primrose is a wildflower that is can be found almost everywhere in the United States. It’s been used by the Native Americans for thousands of years for a variety of medicinal purposes, including infertility, depression, and arthritis.
You can get numerous health benefits from consuming evening primrose oil. All health foods stores should carry gel caps, tea, and perhaps even dried flowers and seeds. Keep reading for all the benefits you can get from this ancient flower and find out why some Native American tribes called this plant “the king’s cure all.”
1. Increases Fertility
Evening Primrose oil is able to increase fertility for women due to its effect on the production of mucus in the cervix. An increase in mucous helps increase the chances of pregnancy by encouraging more sperm to live and move past the cervix. This oil can also reduce the risk of eclampsia and preeclampsia, two conditions that are a serious threat to pregnant women. Evening primrose oil also contains high levels of GLA (gamma linolenic acid). GLA is well known for stimulation blood flow and could be a great help to men with erectile dysfunction that is due to a lack of sufficient blood flow to the genitals.
2. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
In some preliminary studies, evening primrose oil, combined with high quality fish oil, has been shown to be an effective therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. More studies in this area need to be done, but the preliminary studies hold great promise that this plant might be a powerful remedy in the future.
3. Helps with Alcohol Withdrawal
Your brain is prompted by GLA to make a type of prostaglandin known as prostaglandin E, which can prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and depression. Prostaglandin helps to protect the liver and nervous system and stops some of the more severe symptoms people experience when going through withdrawal.
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4. Drains Boils and Heals Bruising
Evening primrose oil has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial compounds that make it the perfect remedy for boils and bruises. You can help a boil drain naturally by making a poultice from the flowers and leaves of evening primrose. Crush the flowers and leaves until they make a pulp. Heat the poultice a bit, but don’t make it too hot; you don’t want to burn the skin. Apply the poultice directly to the boil or bruise and wrap the area with a bandage. Leave to sit overnight. In the morning, the boil should have come to a head and be ready to be drained. Bruises should be considerably better in the morning. This process can be repeated each night if need be.
5. Heart Health and Cholesterol
Consuming evening primrose oil will reduce high cholesterol levels, and some studies show it even reduces high blood pressure. Prostaglandins in evening primrose oil prevent excessive blood clotting and spasming of the arteries. This means evening primrose oil can offer you protection from coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, which should reduce your chances of heart disease as well as heart attacks and strokes. Read more about natural ways to clear out your arteries.
6. Menstrual Pain
Evening primrose oil is terrific at relieving the distress that many women experience with their menstrual cycle. No one is exactly sure why this natural remedy works, but this has been used by thousands of women all over world for relief from painful periods.
7. Skin Health
Evening primrose oil is a super remedy for eczema and other skin conditions due to its essential fatty acid and GLA content. Many people say that using evening primrose oil has helped ease their eczema when other medications and remedies failed. Added to creams or lotions, evening primrose oil can treat age spots, wrinkles, and even stop acne. You can also take gel caps internally to treat your skin problems from the inside out.
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8. Natural Anti-Inflammatory
This native plant has powerful anti-inflammatory compounds and can ease the symptoms of arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Essential Oils Everyone Should Keep at Home
9. Eases Menopause Symptoms
Menopause symptoms are due to the fluctuating hormone levels in the body. Evening primrose oil helps to regulate the estrogen and progesterone in the body and this can help stop hot flashes, mood swings, and breast tenderness that usually accompany menopause. Drinking a daily cup of evening primrose tea can help stop many of these issues. Gel caps are also another way to consume evening primrose oil.
10. Helps with Asthma
Many people, including the Native Americans, consume tea made from evening primrose oil to help stop coughs and asthma symptoms. Drink two cups of evening primrose tea per day to help alleviate asthma symptoms.
Evening primrose oil has almost no side effects; however, some people are sensitive to this natural plant and find it gives them headaches or upset stomachs. If you are taking epileptic medication or blood thinners, you should talk to your doctor first before you start taking evening primrose oil.
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