ORGANIC Evening primrose oil

Arrived as a stowaway

The evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is an inconspicuous plant that often grows on roadsides, embankments and riverbanks, on scree slopes and along railroad tracks. It most probably came to Europe as a stowaway on merchant ships from America. These ships needed ballast for the long journey across the Atlantic, for which they were weighted down with gravel or earth. When they arrived in Europe, the ballast was dumped in the harbors - and with it the evening primrose seeds. The evening primrose owes its name to the fact that it only opens its flowers in the evening in order to attract moths for pollination with its scent.

The evening primrose flowers from June to October, grows up to one meter tall and sprouts an angular stem. It has basal leaves and smaller stem leaves. The yellow flowers form a racemose inflorescence. Each individual flower only blooms for one day and is then replaced by a new flower. This shows how quickly the evening primrose develops and how strong the plant's vigor is. The fruits of the evening primrose have an elongated shape. The roundish seeds of the plant are located inside the approximately three-centimeter-long fruit. At Ölmühle Solling, the precious evening primrose oil is cold-pressed fresh from the seeds of organically grown evening primrose plants.

An oil with girl power

Evening primrose oil is one of Ölmühle Solling's vital oils. The human metabolism needs fat in order to function optimally. And not just any fat: natural, virgin organic edible oils are ideal for health-conscious connoisseurs. Because they provide everything we need for vitality and well-being.

Natural, cold-pressed evening primrose oil is valuable for external and internal use and is one of the few plant oils that contain a combination of essential linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid (approx. 10 g per 100 g) (in addition to evening primrose oil, for example, borage seed oil and hemp oil). The human body cannot produce essential fatty acids itself. They must therefore be supplied with food. Linoleic acid, also known as omega-6 fatty acid, is needed by the body for the formation of new skin cells, among other things. Evening primrose oil has therefore enjoyed great popularity as a skin care oil for many years. It is used in particular for the care of extremely dry and sensitive skin and can be applied pure to the skin or mixed into creams for this purpose. It protects and cares for sensitive skin areas and regulates the skin's moisture balance. We particularly recommend it for the care of the face and décolleté.

It has only been known as an edible oil in Germany since the First World War. Because food was scarce during the war and there was a lack of fats for human consumption, people experimented with a wide variety of seeds, nuts and kernels: beechnuts, grape seeds and even the seeds of wild herbs - this is how this special oil, which is particularly appreciated by women as part of a conscious and balancing diet, was discovered. Evening primrose oil has a characteristic, tart taste.

As an edible oil, evening primrose oil can be enjoyed pure by the spoonful or stirred into salad dressings, green smoothies and dips etc. We recommend not heating the oil above 90 °C, as otherwise the valuable components will be destroyed. The oil should always be stored in a cool, dry place and used quickly after opening. The UV-protected bottles from Ölmühle Solling protect the valuable fatty acids in the evening primrose oil from the sun's rays.

Permitted health claims according to Regulation (EU) 432/2012
Linoleic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. A positive effect is achieved with a daily intake of 10 g of linoleic acid, which corresponds to 14 g (2 tablespoons of 7 g each) of evening primrose oil. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle should be observed.

The tart-tasting evening primrose oil can be enjoyed straight from the spoon as a contribution to a balanced diet and is particularly appreciated by women. In green smoothies and vegetable juices, it only has a slight effect on the taste. Due to its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it should not be heated above 90 °C.

One focus of the traditional use of evening primrose oil is its external application for extremely dry, flaky and sensitive skin. Tip: As the incorporation of gamma-linolenic acid into the skin cells is slow, it sometimes takes a little patience for the positive effects of the oil to become noticeable.