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Scientists from the US found that taking supplements did not work Taking primrose or borage oil did no more than dummy capsules Dermatologists say the findings are disappointing for eczema sufferers

By Jenny Hope

PUBLISHED: 18:48 EST, 29 April 2013 | UPDATED: 18:48 EST, 29 April 2013

Natural remedies such as evening primrose oil are useless for helping sufferers of eczema, warn researchers.

They found supplements worked no better than taking dummy capsules at relieving the itchy, dry skin caused by the disorder.

The findings follow years of controversy over whether complementary therapies are effective.

Supplements such as primrose oil have been found to be useless in treating the symptoms of eczema

Mixed findings from clinical studies have left many sufferers confused and doctors uncertain about the advice they should be offering.

But researchers in the US claim a systematic analysis of 27 studies covering almost 1,600 adults and children in 27 countries failed to show that it was worth buying evening primrose oil or borage oil, both popular treatments for eczema.

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Natural oils such as primrose are 'useless' at treating symptoms of eczema

Public release date: 29-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Beal sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-012-437-70633 Wiley

Research into the complementary therapies evening primrose oil and borage oil shows little, if any, benefit for people with eczema compared with placebo, according to a new systematic review. The authors, who published their review in The Cochrane Library, conclude that further studies on the therapies would be difficult to justify.

Atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is an itchy skin condition with no known cure. Usually emerging in childhood, it affects about 10 to 20% of school age children, who may suffer with tight, red, painful skin, sleepless nights and low self-esteem due to appearance, itching and scratching. For around 60% of people, the disorder will improve or clear up by adulthood. Creams, ointments, bath additives, topical steroids and antihistamines are some of the treatments prescribed to ease the condition. However, people often turn to complementary therapies such as evening primrose oil and borage oil in the belief that they will avoid side effects of conventional eczema treatments. Both evening primrose oil and borage oil contain high quantities of gamma linoleic acid, which was once thought to play a role in reducing skin inflammation in eczema.

The researchers analysed the benefits and side effects associated with evening primrose oil and borage oil in 27 studies involving a total of 1,596 people (adults and children) in 27 countries. Participants took evening primrose oil or borage oil, or a placebo, for between 3-24 weeks. Overall, the researchers found that taking evening primrose or borage oil offered no clear improvement of eczema symptoms over placebos. Commonly used placebos included olive oil and paraffin oil. There was also no improvement in quality of life with the complementary therapies, although only two studies considered this measure.

"There is no evidence that taking either evening primrose or borage oil is of benefit to eczema sufferers," said lead researcher Joel Bamford of the University of Minnesota Medical School and Essentia Health System in Duluth, Minnesota, US. "Given the strength of the evidence in our review, we think further studies on the use of these complementary therapies to treat eczema would be hard to justify."

Some participants in the studies experienced mild side effects such as headaches and stomach upsets or diarrhoea as they also did while taking placebos. However, none of the selected studies evaluated or mentioned bleeding or anti-clotting effects, which have previously been associated with evening primrose oil. "Consumers need to be warned that oral evening primrose oil is listed as a known cause of increased bleeding for those taking Coumadin or warfarin, a very common medication," said Bamford.

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URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/14651858.CD004416.pub2

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Cochrane review finds no benefit of evening primrose oil for treating eczema

Research into the complementary therapies evening primrose oil and borage oil shows little, if any, benefit for people with eczema compared with placebo, according to a new systematic review.

The authors, who published their review in The Cochrane Library, conclude that further studies on the therapies would be difficult to justify.

Atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is an itchy skin condition with no known cure. Usually emerging in childhood, it affects about 10 to 20% of school age children, who may suffer with tight, red, painful skin, sleepless nights and low self-esteem due to appearance, itching and scratching.

For around 60% of people, the disorder will improve or clear up by adulthood. Creams, ointments, bath additives, topical steroids and antihistamines are some of the treatments prescribed to ease the condition.

However, people often turn to complementary therapies such as evening primrose oil and borage oil in the belief that they will avoid side effects of conventional eczema treatments. Both evening primrose oil and borage oil contain high quantities of gamma linoleic acid, which was once thought to play a role in reducing skin inflammation in eczema.

The researchers analysed the benefits and side effects associated with evening primrose oil and borage oil in 27 studies involving a total of 1,596 people (adults and children) in 27 countries. Participants took evening primrose oil or borage oil, or a placebo, for between 3-24 weeks.

Overall, the researchers found that taking evening primrose or borage oil offered no clear improvement of eczema symptoms over placebos. Commonly used placebos included olive oil and paraffin oil. There was also no improvement in quality of life with the complementary therapies, although only two studies considered this measure.

There is no evidence that taking either evening primrose or borage oil is of benefit to eczema sufferers, said lead researcher Joel Bamford of the University of Minnesota Medical School and Essentia Health System in Duluth, Minnesota, US. Given the strength of the evidence in our review, we think further studies on the use of these complementary therapies to treat eczema would be hard to justify.

Some participants in the studies experienced mild side effects such as headaches and stomach upsets or diarrhoea as they also did while taking placebos. However, none of the selected studies evaluated or mentioned bleeding or anti-clotting effects, which have previously been associated with evening primrose oil. Consumers need to be warned that oral evening primrose oil is listed as a known cause of increased bleeding for those taking Coumadin or warfarin, a very common medication, said Bamford.

Cochrane Library

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No Benefit of Evening Primrose Oil for Treating Eczema

Apr. 29, 2013 Research into the complementary therapies evening primrose oil and borage oil shows little, if any, benefit for people with eczema compared with placebo, according to a new systematic review. The authors, who published their review in The Cochrane Library, conclude that further studies on the therapies would be difficult to justify.

Atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is an itchy skin condition with no known cure. Usually emerging in childhood, it affects about 10 to 20% of school age children, who may suffer with tight, red, painful skin, sleepless nights and low self-esteem due to appearance, itching and scratching. For around 60% of people, the disorder will improve or clear up by adulthood. Creams, ointments, bath additives, topical steroids and antihistamines are some of the treatments prescribed to ease the condition. However, people often turn to complementary therapies such as evening primrose oil and borage oil in the belief that they will avoid side effects of conventional eczema treatments. Both evening primrose oil and borage oil contain high quantities of gamma linoleic acid, which was once thought to play a role in reducing skin inflammation in eczema.

The researchers analysed the benefits and side effects associated with evening primrose oil and borage oil in 27 studies involving a total of 1,596 people (adults and children) in 27 countries. Participants took evening primrose oil or borage oil, or a placebo, for between 3-24 weeks. Overall, the researchers found that taking evening primrose or borage oil offered no clear improvement of eczema symptoms over placebos. Commonly used placebos included olive oil and paraffin oil. There was also no improvement in quality of life with the complementary therapies, although only two studies considered this measure.

"There is no evidence that taking either evening primrose or borage oil is of benefit to eczema sufferers," said lead researcher Joel Bamford of the University of Minnesota Medical School and Essentia Health System in Duluth, Minnesota, US. "Given the strength of the evidence in our review, we think further studies on the use of these complementary therapies to treat eczema would be hard to justify."

Some participants in the studies experienced mild side effects such as headaches and stomach upsets or diarrhea as they also did while taking placebos. However, none of the selected studies evaluated or mentioned bleeding or anti-clotting effects, which have previously been associated with evening primrose oil. "Consumers need to be warned that oral evening primrose oil is listed as a known cause of increased bleeding for those taking Coumadin or warfarin, a very common medication," said Bamford.

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Excerpt from:
No benefit of evening primrose oil for treating eczema, review suggests

Evening primrose, also known as sundrops, may be more useful in the garden than in the medicine cabinet.

Evening primrose, also known as sundrops, may be more useful in the garden than in the medicine cabinet.

Eczema is an itchy and, to some, an embarrassing skin ailment. Typical medial treatments like cortisone are less than ideal.

So some people have turned to evening primrose oil, a remedy made from the seeds of a yellow wildlflower that are rich in the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid.

There's only problem: evening primrose oil doesn't seem to work. A review of studies that tested the effectiveness of evening primrose oil found that it offered no improvement of symptoms compared with placebos like olive oil or paraffin oil. The supplement is taken orally in capsules.

The review looked at 19 studies testing evening primrose oil. Eight others tested borage oil, another plant-based remedy. They involved almost 16,000 adults and children in 12 countries. None of the studies found any benefit from evening primrose oil or borage oil.

While eczema is common, affecting as many as 20 percent of childrenm, most outgrow it. But the itchy, swollen skin can be uncomfortable and unsightly.

The study authors don't hold out much hope that more research will find some benefit, saying that the strength of these studies makes it hard to justify further testing. They also note that evening primrose oil can keep blood from clotting and can be dangerous in people taking blood thinners, and that borage contains a compound that can be toxic to the liver.

The report was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, which is considered the gold standard for evidence-based medicine.

As dietary supplements, alternative remedies like evening primrose oil aren't tested for safety and efficacy with the rigor that's applied to prescription medications.

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Evening Primrose Oil No Match For Eczema's Itch