Product: Ultra Prim

Company: Natural Factors

Size: 180 Softgels

Ingredients: Gamma-linolenic Acid 50mg, Cis-linoleic Acid 360mg ( from 500mg of Evening Primrose Oil ), Vitamin E ( d-Alpha Tocopherol ) 15iu.

Dosage: Take three to six capsules daily or as directed by a physician.

Contains no artificial preservatives, color, dairy, sweeteners, starch, wheat or yeast.

Description: Researchers into Essential Fatty Acids say that soon they will be as familiar to us as vitamins and minerals are today. So what’s all the fuss about? What are they and why are they called essential?

Essential Fatty Acids or EFA’s are constituents of all membranes and tissues in the body. Any deficiency in EFA levels causes disturbances in all tissues. You’d think that would be why they’re called essential. But not so. They are considered essential because they cannot be made by the body. They can only be obtained by diet, and although Essential Fatty Acids are found in many foods, our individual biochemistry, dietary habits, and lifestyles determine how available they are to us.

We should view Essential Fatty Acids in the same way we view vitamins and minerals - as necessary to human health.

One of the most critical fatty acids in human health and nutrition is Linoleic Acid. However, by itself Linoleic Acid has no biological activity. To be useful to the body it must first be converted to GAMMA LINOLENIC ACID (GLA) and finally to PROSTAGLANDIN E1 or PGE1. Prostaglandins are molecules that act as vital cell regulators. A complex chain of biochemical reactions must take place before any GLA is even produced by the body and numerous dietary and biochemical factors can sabotage the arduous route from Linoleic Acid to GLA and finally to PGE1. Sometimes no matter how much Linoleic Acid we take in our food, our body actually synthesizes very little PGE1.

Evening Primrose Oil is one of the few substances found in nature that contains significant amounts of GLA. It has no toxic properties and is readily available for human consumption. Dr. Horrobin, a foremost researcher into essential fatty acids states: "The level of PGE1 is of crucial importance to the body. A fall in the level of PGE1 will lead to potentially catastropic series of untoward consequences including increased vascular reactivity, enhanced blood clotting, elevated cholesterol production... enhanced risk of auto-immune disease... enhanced risk of inflammatory disorders and susceptibility to depression."

All oils are volatile and unstable so it is important that great care is taken with their processing and manufacture. It is counterproductive to supplement with an oil that may be inferior or even rancid. That is why the purity and stability of Evening Primrose Oil is paramount. Natural Factors has gone out of its way to address the issues of purity, potency, stability and efficacy. Stringent quality control begins with the special strains of Evening Primrose seeds that are supplied to organic growers. Natural Factors production oversees every level of processing, from initial extraction to encapsulation and distribution. The result of this rigorous quality control is an exceptionally efficacious product that is stable yet free of preservatives. The important active ingredient, GLA, is unaltered, available to be converted to PGE1.

To date there have been two grades of primrose oil available to the health-conscious consumer. Now Natural Factors has introduced a third grade - Ultra Refined. The ‘Crude’ grade of oil is the most unstable because it still contains organic matter which gives the oil a greenish tinge. The ‘Refined’ grade of Evening Primrose is refined which eliminates organic matter and the resulting oil is clear and deep yellow in colour.

Natural Factors Ultra Prim is ultra refined, a process which further eliminates organic matter and pesticides and results in a clear and noticeably pale yellow oil indicating an ultra refined, highly stable product free of impurities. Although many evening primrose plants are grown organically, they can still be contaminated by pesticides from the non-organic practices of neighbouring farmers. Ultra Prim is refined once more to further remove pesticide residues. The peroxide value of Evening Primrose Oil is another indicator of quality. Evening Primrose Oils which have a high peroxide value are rancid. Ultra Prim capsules are certified to have very low peroxide values.

Researchers are studying Evening Primrose Oil for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, PMS, Heart Disease, Obesity, Arthritis and Schizophrenia.