Oslinnik biennial, or evening primrose

Pharmacy name: evening primrose leaves – Oenotherae folium (formerly: Folia Oenotherae), evening primrose root – Oenotherae radix (formerly: Radix Oenotherae), evening primrose oil – Oenotherae oleum (formerly: Oleum Oenotherae).

Botanical description. A biennial plant that can reach over 1 m in height. The erect stem sometimes acquires a reddish tint, somewhat ribbed in the upper part. Basal leaves are elongated, gradually ovate tapering into a petiole, notched-toothed or almost entire; leaves on the stem are small. In the axils of the leaves there are fragrant gray-yellow flowers with a diameter of more than 2 cm with sepals bent back. The ovary is lower, elongated, develops into an obtuse quadrangular fruit 3 cm long, which contains about 200 seeds. Blooms from June to October. Flowers open most often in the evening and only for one night; they are pollinated by night butterflies. There is a two-year-old primrose in wastelands, along railway embankments and roadsides.

Collection and preparation. The leaves are harvested during flowering and air-dried, the roots are dug up in autumn. Seeds for fatty oil are harvested when they reach full maturity in summer and autumn.

active substances. The leaves contain tannins, the seeds contain unsaturated fatty acids with a very high percentage of y-linolenic acid (10%), and the roots contain starch, protein and minerals.

Healing action and application.Until recently, evening primrose was not in great honor. In official medicine, it was not used, only in folk medicine the leaves were used in the form of tea against diarrhea. In later times, researchers (D. Horrobin and others) discovered a high content of y-linolenic acid in the fatty oil of seeds, and evening primrose immediately became a desired dietary remedy and a well-known medicinal plant. For in linolenic acid, unlike other unsaturated fatty acids, it facilitates the formation of prostaglandins in our body, which are very important for the normal functioning of many organs. Until now, no plant is known that would contain y-linolenic acid in such a large amount. Application of folk medicine. In folk medicine, evening primrose leaf tea was only occasionally used as a remedy for diarrhea. Its action is based on tannins contained in abundance in evening primrose. The roots are used as a tonic. They are dug up in the fall, when they reach a thickness of 5 cm and a length of 10 cm, cut into circles and cooked from them with vinegar and oil or stewed in meat broth. In this dish, as they say, there is an extraordinary power that quickly puts the sick on their feet. I even came across such a message that one pound of evening primrose root gives more strength than a hundredweight of beef. Undoubtedly, this is a great exaggeration, but it shows how much this root is valued. as they say, there is an extraordinary power that quickly puts the sick on their feet. I even came across such a message that one pound of evening primrose root gives more strength than a hundredweight of beef. Undoubtedly, this is a great exaggeration, but it shows how much this root is valued. as they say, there is an extraordinary power that quickly puts the sick on their feet. I even came across such a message that one pound of evening primrose root gives more strength than a hundredweight of beef. Undoubtedly, this is a great exaggeration, but it shows how much this root is valued.

Side effects. Since this is not reported anywhere, it can be assumed that there is nothing to fear from any side effects.

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