Discover evening primrose oil to relieve your menopause symptoms

Hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual cramps, intimate dryness, reduced libido: the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause (this period of a few years preceding menopause) can be particularly uncomfortable. To address this, it is necessary to treat the cause (low estrogen and progesterone levels) and manage the various symptoms of menopause and make it more manageable. For this second point, evening primrose oil appears to be a very interesting and scientifically proven solution. Are you new to evening primrose oil and think it can help you? In today's article, we invite you to learn more about the power of evening primrose oil to manage the symptoms of menopause.

 

What is evening primrose oil?

Before presenting to you the benefits of this famous Evening Primrose oil on menopause , let's start by telling you about what Evening Primrose and its oil is.

First of all, what is Evening Primrose?

Evening primrose, from its Latin name Oenothera biennis L., is a biennial yellow flowering plant. It is also commonly called “Belle de nuit”, “Donkey Grass”, “Evening Primrose” (even if the species does not belong to the primrose genus), “Saint Antoine’s Ham” and “Gardener’s Ham” , two funny names which come from its root which, once cooked, resembles cooked ham.

Evening primrose is a plant with an erect, angular stem which can reach between one meter and one meter twenty in height and which is topped with large, bright yellow flowers. It generally grows on fairly sandy soils in sun or partial shade, rarely above 700 m altitude.

 

 

If it is native to North America and Central America, where the Native Americans quickly appreciated its multiple virtues, it is found today in the wild or in crops in North America, Europe and Asia. In France, it is ultimately quite easy to cultivate because it adapts very well to very poor soils and temperate temperatures.

 

And Evening Primrose oil?

Evening primrose oil comes from the seeds of the evening primrose.

 

 

Pressed, these provide an oil rich in essential fatty acids for the body including gamma-linolenic acid, which is also found in Borage vegetable oil. In addition to these fatty acids, Evening Primrose oil also contains vitamin E and triterpenes.

The result is an oil with interesting nutritional, cosmetic and therapeutic properties and explains why it can be appreciated for internal and external use.

What does science say about evening primrose oil and menopause?

Among the interesting effects of Evening Primrose oil, the positive effects on the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause particularly appealed to us, as founders of Gapianne, an e-concept-store dedicated to well-being and comfort. intimate of women. We had to go further and understand how evening primrose oil could be useful in relieving the symptoms of menopause. To do this, we wondered what the science said about Evening Primrose oil in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

A positive role of evening primrose oil on hot flashes

In 2013, a study was published on the effects of taking evening primrose oil orally on hot flashes linked to menopause (scientific article in English 🇬🇧).

Here is what we learned, translated into French in the text: “The results show **an improvement in the symptoms of hot flashes in people taking evening primrose oil compared to a placebo**, with notable improvements in frequency, severity and duration. Although all aspects were improved, only severity was significantly better reduced compared to placebo. In addition, the positive impact on social activities, relationships and sexuality was also more marked with evening primrose oil.”

In other words, Evening Primrose oil helped reduce hot flashes in menopausal people with real results compared to the placebo, especially in terms of severity. It would also have had positive effects on libido and social relationships – this could be explained by the reduction in the severity of hot flash attacks.

To achieve such results, those tested took 500 mg of Evening Primrose oil per day every day in the form of capsules for six weeks.

More recently, a 2021 scientific study (scientific article in English 🇬🇧) demonstrated similar effects on hot flashes and night sweats.

 

A positive role of evening primrose oil on women's health

Finally, in 2019, a study entitled Evening Primrose Oil in the Management of Women's Health (scientific article in English 🇬🇧) showed that women's health was overall improved by evening primrose oil : “The results Studies have confirmed the effectiveness of evening primrose oil on women's health, but you should not expect an immediate response from it, which is why it should be used regularly for 4 or 6 months.”

 

What symptoms of menopause can evening primrose oil relieve?

Should you take Evening Primrose oil to relieve your perimenopause or menopause symptoms? It all depends on the symptoms you are experiencing. Indeed, Evening Primrose oil seems to be effective and interesting for specific symptoms.

 

Hot flashes

The 2013 study that we presented previously is clear on the issue of hot flashes: Evening Primrose oil, consumed internally, can have real effectiveness when taken as a treatment at a rate of 500mg per day.

Night sweats

Since night sweats are linked to hot flashes, it is logical to think that taking Evening Primrose oil could reduce your night sweats. This was demonstrated more recently, in a 2021 study.

Vaginal dryness

We told you about it in our article on intimate dryness and potential solutions : according to Paola from the Vulvae brand (words validated by a midwife we ​​know), you can also use Evening Primrose oil to limit vaginal dryness. Its anti-inflammatory properties would thus have the property of nourishing and rebuilding the mucous membranes. It is possible to apply it in the form of oil or through evening primrose oil capsules, intravaginally.

 

Beauty of mature skin

In addition to its beneficial effects on your menopause/perimenopause symptoms, the use of Evening Primrose oil is recommended for dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin due to its moisturizing and nourishing properties. Its composition rich in phytosterols (nourishing and anti-inflammatory molecules) promotes hydration and nutrition of the epidermis. In daily external application, a few drops are enough for your skin to regain its suppleness, elasticity and radiance. In addition, many women have acne during menopause, so Evening Primrose oil is a great ally!

 

How to use evening primrose oil when you are menopausal?

The power of Evening Primrose oil appeals to you and would you like to try it to alleviate the pain and discomfort that you are experiencing due to your perimenopause or menopause? We tell you everything about the forms of Evening Primrose oil that you will find in stores and the dosage depending on your symptoms.

 

Evening primrose oil in “oil” format

For what symptoms should you take Evening Primrose oil when you are in menopause?

Evening primrose oil in its “oil” form is very interesting for external use . In this form, we recommend it for its cosmetic role and for its therapeutic virtues (notably anti-inflammatory).

In the context of perimenopause and menopause, Evening Primrose oil will be useful as a massage oil to alleviate the pain (painful chest, menstrual pain, etc.) that you may feel. Even more, it will be particularly interesting to help you reduce the effects of aging on your skin: the skin on your face will drink Evening Primrose oil and be nourished by it.

 

How to choose your Evening Primrose oil?

When choosing your Evening Primrose oil, we recommend that you opt for:

• flowers and seeds grown in France for a positive impact for the planet as well as for you;
• cold-pressed Evening Primrose seed oil: cold pressing is a gentle extraction method that does not alter the quality of the oil and its nutrients. Better still, it requires very little energy.

How to take Evening Primrose oil?

We recommend that you take Evening Primrose oil in its “oil” format for external use for facial beauty , in addition to your moisturizing cream. Apply Evening Primrose oil once a day, in the morning and/or evening after removing make-up, with 2 to 3 drops of oil in the palm of the hands, warm it then apply it all over the face. face by massaging delicately.

The selection of Gapianne

🌈 On our e-shop, we have selected Evening Primrose oil from the Oden brand for you. Its ingredients are produced in France and the oil is virgin and cold pressed for greater effectiveness. Its superior quality makes it eligible for internal use but we prefer to recommend that you take Evening Primrose oil capsules (see the next part) because they will be more concentrated and it will be more economical.

 

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Evening primrose oil capsules

For what symptoms should I take Evening Primrose oil in the form of capsules?

Evening primrose oil in its “capsule” form is very interesting for internal use. Taking capsules allows it to be much more concentrated and effective, for a lower cost than liquid oil.

In the context of perimenopause and menopause, we recommend Evening Primrose oil capsules taken orally to combat hot flashes and night sweats. You can also take the capsules intravaginally to relieve intimate dryness.

 

How to take Evening Primrose oil capsules?

To feel the positive effects of Evening Primrose oil on your menopausal symptoms, it is interesting to take at least 500 mg for a fairly long time (at least 6 weeks, or even three months). To achieve these doses, you will need to take between 2 and 3 capsules per day, depending on the brand you consume, with a large glass of water.

The selection of Gapianne

🌈 On our e-concept store, we fell for the Evening Primrose oil capsules from the Oden brand. This is because we really like this brand and its choices (ingredients made in France, design with a laboratory, glass containers), but also because Oden offers capsules that mix Evening Primrose oil and Borage, two very interesting vegetable oils rich in fatty acids. In addition to addressing your issues related to menopause, this treatment will have an impact on the strength of your hair and nails.

 

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Sources:

“The effect of oral evening primrose oil on menopausal hot flashes: a randomized clinical trial” - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23625331/