Evening Primrose
(Oenothera biennis)
The species of therapeutic interest is Oenothera biennis, from the Greek meaning oenos (wine) and thera (beast).
An ancient legend attributed this plant with the power to tame wild animals if it was infused in wine.
Evening Primrose is an erect herbaceous plant with lanceolate, wavy and hairy leaves. Its fragrant flowering takes place in summer. The magnificent yellow flower, with a regular corolla, blooms at sunset and closes at the first light of day. When ripe, the fruit contains small black seeds from which the oil is extracted.
Evening Primrose originated on the American continent approximately 70,000 years ago. Its healing properties were already known to the American Indian Ojibwa tribe 1,000 years ago!
It established itself on European soil in the 17th century. It was by throwing the bags of soil that stabilised ships onto the shores of the Atlantic that in the 17th century, sailors returning from America imported the first Evening Primrose seeds. Initially, the flowers were used as adornments, then healers discovered their beneficial effects on the human body. It experienced a golden age in England, thanks to the preparation of the famous “King’s cure-all”.
