Primrose, Evening 50 g, 25 g

Primrose, Evening – 50 g ($22.99), 25 g ($13.99)

Benefits:
Promotes cardiovascular health
Aids in weight loss and reduces high blood pressure
Acts as a natural estrogen promoter.
Helpful in treating alcoholism, arthritis, hot flashes, menstrual problems such as cramps and heavy bleeding, multiple sclerosis and skin disorders.

Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis
English: Evening Primrose
Also, known as: Evening Star, Sundrop, Weedy Evening Primrose, German Rampion, Hog Weed, King’s Cure-All And Fever-Plant
Habitat: Canada, USA
Origin: Canada
Harvested: Wild
Parts Used: Leaves, stems

General Information:
This biennial grows anywhere between 30 and 150 cm (12-60 inches) in height. The evening primrose is perhaps best known for its seeds. Oil is extracted from the seeds and used for a variety of health problems. Native Americans used this plant not just as food but medicine too. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that researchers discovered the oil was powerful. Today it is used to help restore brittle hair and nails to a healthy condition as well as for many health ailments.

This plant is an herbaceous forb that earned its common name because of flowering only late in the day and into the evening. Each flower only last one to two days but one plant produces several flowers over a period of time. The stem does not grow until the second year, are hairy, and they may have tinges of purple or red. These plants reproduce by seed and each plant has numerous seed capsules that are upright. Evening primrose loves well-drained soils in full sun.

This bright yellow flower has 4 petals, a stigma X-shaped, sepal turned down against stem; axillary and the terminal is above. It has a long flowering period from late spring to late summer; and the flowers tend to open late afternoon and into the evening. They have a mild lemony scent and its pollinators are bees, butterflies and moths. Hummingbirds are attracted to these flowers because of its nectar.

The first year you’ll see elliptic to lanceolate shaped leaves that measure about 5 to 20cm long and 1-2.5cm in width. They have wavy margins, a prominent white mid-vein, perhaps some red tinges on the leaf tips and they grow in a tight rosette. The second year a stem grows and the leaves grow alternate and they become smaller with height.

Evening primrose grows in meadows, on beaches, in dunes, roadsides, and in waste places. This plant is native to Canada and the US and grows in all provinces (not the territories) and most states. It has been naturalized in Great Britain, parts of Europe, Russia, eastern Asia, South American, Australia and some Pacific islands including New Zealand.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

How Much To Use
It is common that 10g of a fresh herb = 1g when dehydrated.
Recommended daily amount: ½ -1 tsp of evening primrose (1-3 g)/day. This can be split into 2 or more uses and added to food, drink or to make tea.