Evening Primrose Oil better than Borage Oil for PN
 

Hello all,

Came across some interesting thoughts below for those considering oils rich in GLA (Gamma linolenic acid) to help heal nerves.

Comes from old studies, (although the article was reviewed in 2009) .... Just thought I'd post them while the information is in front of me.

Perhaps it's a little tidbit that might help someone. If I come across more recent studies, I'll post that here as well.

If you want a primer on oils to heal nerves to understand how GLAs, etc fits into the bigger picture, see Mrs. D excellent post:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=6092

Natalie




From:
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dir...F13C4CF51329DC

"<Using Borage Oil To> Prevent nerve damage (neuropathy) due to diabetes.
People with diabetes are more likely to lose feeling in their sensory nerves, which can lead to tingling and numbness in the arms and legs. An inability to convert GLA may be one reason for this. When diabetes patients are given GLA-rich evening primrose oil, nerve damage (neuropathy) symptoms improve. For reasons that remain unclear, borage oil has not proven as effective for this condition as evening primrose oil despite its higher concentrations of GLA."

From Study:
Dines KC, Cotter MA, Cameron NE. Effectiveness of natural oils as sources of gamma-linolenic acid to correct peripheral nerve conduction velocity abnormalities in diabetic rats: modulation by thromboxane A2 inhibition. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1996 Sep;55(3):159-65.



"Although a possible alternative to evening primrose oil, far less information is available on the safety and effectiveness of borage oil."

"While borage oil is often used interchangeably with evening primrose oil, ounce for ounce, borage oil boasts more than twice as much GLA."

"In borage oil, the GLA seems to calm inflammation overall, making it an attractive treatment option for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Complicating matters, however, is the presence in borage oil of other fatty acids that may interfere with GLA absorption. In addition, borage leaves and flowers contain potentially toxic substances (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or PAs) which could, in theory, cause harm if ingested over long enough periods of time. Borage seed oil may also contain minute amounts of PAs. Adverse reactions to the PAs are not widespread, but based on these concerns, borage oil often rates second to evening primrose oil as the GLA supplement of choice. On the other hand, borage oil is cheaper, and in many cases you can use a lower dose of borage oil to produce a therapeutic effect."

"It may have cancer-causing properties as well. Just how much of this toxic substance is present in borage seed oil--if any at all (it's measured in parts per billion)--remains unclear."