The evening primrose plant, or Oenothera biennis, is a common North American wildflower that has been valued for hundreds of years for its use in cooking and medicine. This biennial plant can be used for almost anything, from its edible roots, leaves, and seeds to its healing flowers and leaves. Let’s look at the many ways this helpful weed can be used in your kitchen and pharmacy.
An Overview of Evening Primrose
Evening primrose is a plant with a two year life cycle. The first year it produces a basal rosette of leaves and stores energy in a taproot. The second year, it sends up a tall flowering stalk reaching heights over 5 feet.
The leaves are lance-shaped with prominent veins The flowers have four bright yellow petals that bloom from mid to late summer They open in the evening, giving evening primrose its common name. After pollination, the flowers form long, narrow seed pods filled with reddish-brown seeds.
Evening primrose thrives in full sun areas with well-draining soil. It grows wild in many parts of North America, especially along roadsides meadows fields and disturbed sites. It has also become naturalized in some parts of Europe and Asia.
Eating the Nutritious Roots
The taproot of first year evening primrose plants can be dug up in early spring and eaten. The roots are starchy and nutrient-dense, with a sweet, mildly spicy flavor reminiscent of parsnips.
Try chopping the peeled roots into cubes and roasting them with olive oil, salt and pepper until caramelized. Or boil and mash them like potatoes, or add them to soups and stews as you would any root veggie. Boiling them in a few changes of water can mellow their flavor.
Using the Edible Leaves
Once evening primrose sends up its flowering stalk in year two, the young leaves closest to the ground can be eaten. They have a slightly bitter, spinach-like taste.
You can chop the leaves up and put them in soups, omelets, smoothies, pesto, or any other dish that calls for greens. To get rid of the bitter taste, boil, sauté, or steam them. Use only the stalk’s bottom third of leaves.
Harvesting the Sweet Flowers
The bright yellow flowers that bloom in summer have a sweet, mild flavor. Add them to salads or use them to garnish desserts. Stuff the blossoms with soft cheese for appetizers, or use them to infuse vinegar or olive oil.
Pick the flowers in morning when just opened or evening when closing. Avoid pollinated flowers. The unopened buds can also be steamed and added to stir fries.
Collecting the Tasty Seeds
Once the seed pods dry and split open in late summer or fall, shake out and gather the small seeds inside. The seeds have a nutty, slightly sweet flavor.
Try eating them raw in granola or yogurt. First roast or toast them to make the flavor stronger. Then, put them on top of grains, vegetables, or baked goods. Grind them to produce an aromatic oil for cooking.
Using Evening Primrose Medicinally
In addition to its food uses, evening primrose has a long history of medicinal applications. The seeds are cold pressed to extract evening primrose oil, used to treat skin conditions like eczema. The oil may also help relieve PMS symptoms and rheumatoid arthritis pain.
Teas made from the leaves and roots have served as energetic tonics and to treat GI complaints. The roots can be made into skin salves. More research is still needed, but the plant remains popular in herbal medicine.
Harvesting Evening Primrose Sustainably
When collecting evening primrose, harvest mindfully and selectively. Never overharvest or take more than you need. Avoid gathering it in protected natural areas without permission.
Only collect plants growing in public spaces or on your own property. Never harvest evening primrose that could have been sprayed with herbicides. Make sure to leave some seeds behind to propagate more plants.
Growing Evening Primrose in Your Garden
If you want easy access to evening primrose, consider planting it in your garden. Sow seeds in early spring in a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Space them 12 inches apart and water until established.
Mulch around the plants to help retain moisture. Be sure to dig up the roots after the first year so the plant doesn’t self-seed excessively. The plant adds beauty and is low maintenance.
Preserving Your Evening Primrose Bounty
To enjoy evening primrose all year long, preserve your harvest by:
- Freezing chopped roots or cooked leaves
- Drying leaves and flowers for tea
- Infusing flowers in oil or vinegar
- Pickling peeled, chopped roots
- Making a tincture with roots and leaves in alcohol
- Roasting and storing seeds in an airtight container
With its many uses, evening primrose is a great edible and medicinal plant for foragers, gardeners and homesteaders alike. Use this overview for ideas on benefiting from this versatile wildflower in your own kitchen and apothecary.
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Historical Medicinal Use of Evening Primrose
Evening Primrose has been used in herbal medicine for over 500 years, and many people still use it today, even though science hasn’t found any health benefits for it.
- The Evening Primrose was used to make a tea that was used to help people lose weight or get motivated to eat better. It was also used to treat senility and debility.
- People used a hot compress made from pounded Evening Primrose roots to heal cuts, sores, and boils on the skin. Native Americans used the whole plant to treat cuts and wounds, and the roots to treat hemorrhoids.
- People chewed on evening primrose roots and rubbed them on their muscles to get stronger.
- People used the plant to treat headaches and bowel problems as well as back pain. [4] .
- In the past, evening primrose leaves were used to treat small wounds, stomach problems, and sore throats. [1] .
Evening Primrose Herbal Use
Evening primrose herb is used extensively in herbal medicine and as a dietary supplement for many conditions.
Evening Primrose is cultivated for the oil contained in its seeds which contain certain the essential Gamma-linoleinc acid (GLA), a very valuable fatty acid that is not found in many plants. The seed oil is sold for skin care and use in cosmetics, and in soft-gels as a dietary supplement.
Preformed GLA is present in trace amounts in green leafy vegetables and nuts as well as the seeds of Evening Primrose, Borage, black currant and hemp seeds. The most significant source of GLA for infants is breast milk. GLA has numerous vital functions in the body. [2].
People use Evening Primrose oil dietary supplements for eczema (a condition involving red, swollen, itchy skin, sometimes caused by allergies), rheumatoid arthritis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), breast pain, menopause symptoms, ADD, and other conditions. Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes. There is some evidence that evening primrose oil might help with this. [1].
Uses and benefits of Evening Primrose have not been conclusively proven by science, according to the National Institute of Health. More research needs to be done.
Caterpillar feeding on Evening Primrose seed stalk.
The leaves of Evening Primrose have a prominent white mid- vein.
Evening Primrose: Identification, Edible Parts, and Tradition Medicinal Uses
FAQ
What part of the evening primrose plant is medicinal?
Some people use the bark and leaves to treat stomach problems, whooping cough, and asthma because they are astringent and calming. Raw roots can be minced and marinated in salad vinaigrette for twenty minutes before use in salad.
How to make evening primrose oil from plants?
How to extract evening primrose oil and its usesUsing a mortar and pestle, grind about 1/2 cup of primrose blossoms. Grind the flowers until you have a teaspoon of the powdered substance. Now, mix the flower powder with about half a cup of olive oil or something similar that has a high smoke point.
Is the evening primrose plant edible?
The young leaves of the common evening-primrose can be eaten as a salad. The fleshy roots are also edible as a cooked vegetable. The seeds are rich in beta-linolenic and gamma-linoleic acids that have important medicinal and therapeutic uses.