Wild Evening Primrose

Identification

• Evening Primrose grows wild throughout the U.S. and Europe. The plants thrive in sandy soil, often growing in meadows and along roadsides. Their yellow, four-petaled blooms appear in the summer months, unfolding in the evening and retreating in the morning. They are pollinated primarily by nocturnal moths, although their fragrant nectar is also enjoyed by hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant is hardy and shrublike, attaining a mature height of up to 5 feet and bears long, hairy, lemon-scented leaves. The entire Evening Primrose plant is edible.

Medicinal Properties

• Oil pressed from evening primrose seeds includes linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid, as well as oleic, palmitic and steric acids, campesterol and beta-sitosterol steroids. This oil is effective in treating a plethora of maladies including eczema, pre-menstrual syndrome, dry-eye syndrome, and hyperactivity in children, according to the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing website.

  Evening primrose oil may reduce the severity of the effects of alcohol withdrawal. It may also aid recovering alcoholics by improving liver function. In addition, evening primrose oil is credited with the ability to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Historical Use

• According to folklore, the Algonquin, Iroquois and Cherokee Native Americans made herbal medicines from evening primroses to treat skin diseases, breathing problems, headaches and cold symptoms.