Herb. No. 090 · Onagraceae
Eastern and central North American biennial of dunes and waste ground.
Native · North America
Native Also grown
OpenGentleplant
Evening primrose
Oenothera biennis
A dusk-opening yellow native whose seed oil is taken for skin and cycle folklore.
Evening primrose oil is one of the better-known GLA supplements, used traditionally for PMS and irritable skin. Evidence is mixed. The plant is a biennial of dunes and waste ground. Culinary use of the root exists; the oil is a pressed-seed product, not a tea.
Flavor
Root is peppery-sweet when young; seed oil is oily and faintly nutty. Flowers are not a tea crop.
Parts used
Seed oil · Young root as food
In favor
- Native pollinator plant
- Easy biennial
Against
- Oil is a supplement decision
- Can theoretically add to seizure risk in rare reports
- Biennial patience