Common Name: Tree Primrose, King's Cure-All.

Parts Used: Bark, leaves, root, seed. The bark is peeled from the flower-stems and dried in the same manner as the leaves, which are collected in the second year, when the flower stalk has made its appearance.

Description: Biennial. At the top of a leafy stalk bloom lemon-scented, large yellow flowers. The stems are hairy and often purple-tinged. Flowers are 1 to 2 inches wide; 4 petals; 4 sepals, reflexed, arising from the top of a long, floral tube; 8 stamens, that are prominent; stigma cross-shaped. Leaves: 4 to 8 inches, slightly toothed, lanceolate. Fruit is an oblong capsule, about 1 inch long, often persisting. Height: 2 to 5 feet. The root is biennial, fusiform and fibrous, yellowish on the outside and white within. The first year, many obtuse leaves are produced, which spread flat on the ground. From among these in the second year, the more or less hairy stems arise and grow to a height of 3 or 4 feet. The later leaves are 3 to 5 inches long, 1 inch or more wide, pointed, with nearly entire margins and covered with short hairs. The flowers are produced all along the stalks, on axillary branches and in a terminating spike, often leafy at the base. The uppermost flowers come out first in June. The stalks keep continually advancing in height, and there is a constant succession of flowers till late in the autumn, making this one of the showiest of our hardy garden plants, if placed in large masses. The flowers are of a fine, yellow color, large and delicately fragrant, and usually open between six and seven o'clock in the evening, hence the name of Evening Primrose.

Habitat: Roadsides & fields throughout the U.S. Though originally a native of North Arnerica, it was imported first into Italy and has been carried all over Europe, now often naturalized on river-banks and other sandy places in Western Europe. It is often cultivated in gardens.

Cultivation: The Evening Primrose will thrive in almost any soil or situation, being perfectly hardy. It thrives in fairly good sandy soil and in a warm sunny position. Sow the seeds an inch deep in a shady position out-doors in April, transplanting the seedlings when 1 inch high, 3 inches apart each way in sunny borders. Keep them free from weeds, and in September or the following March, transplant them again into the flowering positions. As the roots strike deep into the ground, care should be taken not to break them in removing. Seeds may also be sown in cold frames in autumn for blooming the following year. If the plants are once introduced and the seeds permitted to scatter, there will be a supply of plants without any special care.

Propagation and Reproduction: The large, bright yellow, fragrant flowers are mostly fertilized by twilight-flying insects, especially in the early season. Later the plants keep 'open house' practically all day. In America it is considered a troublesome pest; in England it is not formidable.

Constituents: Astringent, Mucilaginous, and Sedative. The drug extracted from this plant, though not in very general use, has been tested in various directions, and has been employed with success in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders of a functional origin, asthma and whooping cough.

Uses: American Indians used root tea for obesity, bowel pains; poulticed root for piles, bruises, rubbed root on muscles to give athletes strength. In 1981, at St. Thomas's Hospital, London, 65 women with PMS were treated with oil of Evening Primrose. 61% experienced complete relief, and 23% partial relief. One symptom, breast engorgement, was especially improved. 72% of the women reported feeling better. In November 1982, the prestigious British medical journal, the Lancet carried results of the double-blind crossover study on 99 patients with ectopic eczema. This showed that when high doses of Evening Primrose oil were taken, about 43% of the patients in the trial experienced and improvement. Evening Primrose recently made headlines as a possible remedy for premenstrual syndrome. The oil, extracted from the seeds, can be used as an herbal preparation or as a vegetable with a peppery flavor. Evening Primrose oil is also useful to counteract alcoholic poisoning. It is highly effective in preventing hangovers. A study in Inverness, Scotland, demonstrated that the oil will encourage a liver damaged by alcohol to regenerate. Oil of Evening Primrose can also help withdrawal from alcohol and ease post-drinking depression. In Europe, it has been used to treat Multiple Sclerosis. It lowers blood pressure, and eases the pain of angina by opening up the blood vessels. It has been found to help slow the production of cholesterol, and has been found to lower cholesterol levels. Used with Dong Quai and Vitex, it is a valuable part of an herbal remedy for treating the symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstrual cramping.  The whole plant has similar properties to the root, although milder, and may be tinctured or infused in water, for tea.

Miscellaneous:  The flowers of this plant attract a variety of moths. Small mammals eat the roots and leaves of young plants. Birds eat the seeds. Deer graze older plants.

Caution: Don't use Evening Primrose oil if you're pregnant or breast-feeding. Use Evening Primrose oil cautiously, if at all, if you have a history of seizures or take a drug that makes seizures more likely. Give this herb to a hyperactive child only under close supervision of a primary health care practitioner.

Flower Essence:  Brings awareness and healing of painful, early emotions absorbed from the mother; ability to open emotionally and form deep, committed relationships.  Increases energies associated with the heart chakra, and the capacity of the individual to coordinate and integrate various energies of love. The ability of this essence to encourage healing is profound. Encourages the process of seeing the larger perspective, gently drawing individuals to see the issues, blocking belief patterns and thought forms that need to be integrated and healed.