Evening primrose oil is increasingly widely used because of its wonderful benefits. However, evening primrose oil can also cause some side effects such as rash, headache, dizziness, and interactions with some drugs.
1. What is evening primrose oil?
Evening primrose oil is an oil extracted from the evening primrose plant's seeds. It contains essential fatty acids, which contribute to the formation of cell membranes and provide hormones and hormone-like substances necessary for the body. Evening primrose oil also contains omega-6 fatty acids, which play an important role in maintaining and developing brain functions and normal body growth and development.
In addition, evening primrose oil contains many substances that can treat diseases. Therefore, it can relieve pain associated with premenopausal syndrome (PMS) while reducing irritation and skin diseases. It can also be used as an anti-inflammatory and has a role in autoimmune diseases.
2. What are the side effects of evening primrose oil?
Side effects of evening primrose oil include:
- Stomach pain.
- Abdominal pain, nausea.
- Headache, dizziness.
- Soft stools
- In rare cases, evening primrose oil can cause an allergic reaction with symptoms such as inflammation of the hands and feet, rash, difficulty breathing, and wheezing.
- If you are taking blood thinners, evening primrose oil can increase the risk of bleeding.
- Evening primrose oil can also lower blood pressure.
- Evening primrose oil can also increase the risk of seizures as well as severe nausea and vomiting in people taking phenothiazines.
- Pregnant women should not use evening primrose oil because of the potential for complications.
3. How to use evening primrose oil?
- For eczema: take one to four capsules of evening primrose oil twice daily for 12 weeks. For topical creams, apply 1 ml of 20% evening primrose oil to the skin twice daily for up to four months.
- For skincare: take 500 mg capsules three times daily for up to 12 weeks.
- For perimenopause, take six to 12 capsules (500 mg to 6,000 mg) one to four times daily for up to 10 months. Start with the smallest dose possible and increase as needed to relieve symptoms.
- For breast pain: Take 1 to 3 grams (g) or 2.4 ml of evening primrose oil daily for six months.
- For hot flashes: Take 500 mg of evening primrose oil twice daily for six weeks.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
