Primrose oil no better than placebo for eczema

By Kerry Grens

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Evening primrose oil doesn't reduce the symptoms of the itchy skin problem eczema, according to a new review of studies.

Herbal supplement makers market primrose oil as helpful in treating eczema, but "I don't think you'll get a specific benefit" from the pills, said Dr. Joel Bamford, the lead author of the review.

Eczema is a common skin disorder, especially among children, marked by itchy, red skin.

Commonly, patients are prescribed steroid medications to treat the problem.

Primrose oil initially showed some promise in studies several decades ago, said Bamford, who is an associate instructor at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Duluth.

But when he tried to replicate the findings, he found that primrose oil didn't seem to work.

Since then, organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Dermatology have largely brushed aside primrose oil as a treatment for eczema.

But makers of the supplement continue to market the oil as beneficial for eczema. Evening primrose oil sells for about $14 for 100, 500-milligram pills.

Dr. Xiu-Min Li, a pediatrics professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the director of the Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy for Allergy and Asthma there, said families are often looking for alternatives to steroids.

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Primrose oil no better than placebo for eczema