Evening Primrose Oil by Barlean's Organic Oils

This is a practical pick for people looking for evening primrose oil for PMS, especially cyclic breast tenderness and mood swings that track the luteal phase. The two-softgel dose delivers 234 mg of GLA (gamma‑linolenic acid), a clinically relevant amount used in trials for PMS and mastalgia. It’s also reasonable for adults with dry, irritation‑prone skin who want a lipid repletion approach. If you’re chasing broad inflammation changes, effects on hs-CRP (a blood marker of systemic inflammation) are usually small.

GLA is an omega‑6 fatty acid your body converts to DGLA, which makes series‑1 prostaglandins (local signaling molecules that tend to calm tissue reactivity). This pathway competes with arachidonic acid, which makes more pro‑inflammatory signals. In PMS and cyclic breast pain, that shift likely reduces breast tissue sensitivity and cramping. For skin, better DGLA status can improve barrier lipids, which helps retain moisture. Big acne and menopause hot flash claims are inconsistent in trials.

Take two softgels daily with food to improve absorption, ideally at the same time each day. The 234 mg GLA per day here aligns with the common clinical range of 200–320 mg GLA. Give it 8 to 12 weeks for PMS or mastalgia, and 4 to 8 weeks for skin dryness. If you need higher GLA, borage oil concentrates more GLA per capsule, but has a different fatty acid profile.

Avoid during pregnancy unless your obstetric clinician recommends it; safety data are limited despite popular use late in pregnancy. If you have a seizure disorder or take phenothiazines (older antipsychotics like chlorpromazine), skip it due to rare seizure case reports. Use caution with anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, and stop 1 to 2 weeks before elective surgery. If your main goal is lowering triglycerides, choose a high‑EPA fish oil instead.