EPA (not EPO) information

[beatle]

Seems I might have confused some people in another thread, when I said EPO=Evening Primrose Oil and then went on to talk about that (it is the GLA in the EPO that you need, so sometimes it is called GLA. You can also get GLA from Borage oil in a more concentrated form.).

Anyway, to clear things up, EPA (not EPO) is something else, namely Eicosapentaenoic acid, one of the essential Omega 3 fatty acids.

EPA is apparently very good for depression/mood swings (among other things). Here is a very interesting article about it:

Depression and pure epa omega 3 fish oil / a natural remedy for depression

[kriger]

Beatle,
What does GLA stand for? Do you buy it as GLA in health/nutrition stores? kriger

[CS04]

Kriger
GLA is gamma-linoleic acid. I may have spelled part of it wrong. But Beatle is far more informed on these matters than I am. GLA is also in the All-One powder, I think.

[beatle]

I don't think GLA is in the All-One (but not sure about that). It is one of those omega oils. You get it from Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) and also from Borage oil (supposed to be the best). Anyway, it is great for hair, nails, PMS and I believe it is good for the liver and general health. MWO makes a good "Super Evening Primrose", which is what I use, but you can certainly get it locally as well. Just check the amount of GLA before you buy.

[CS04]

I think I confused it with Glutamic Acid, which is in the viitamin powder I have (store brand from The Vitamin Shoppe, not brand name ALl One).

[lorisunshine]

Oh, Beatle and here I thought it stood for Environmental Protection Agency.......LOL.

[beatle]

oh, yeah, it does that, too... it's very versatile.

[Determinator]

GLA is also used to minimize discomfort from menstrual cramps.

it's hard to find an affordable source of GLA since you get just the tiniest bit of it in most
EPO capsules....but it is good stuff. If anyone finds an affordable source please share!

[greeneyes]

Emerson Ecologics carries a douglas Laboratories Borage Seed Oil in 1,000 mg. softgels. Each contains 210 mg. GLA. I don't know if that's good bad or ugly 90 softgels is $23.38.

[beatle]

Well, 210mg GLA in one capsule is good. The MWO stuff is 120mg GLA per cap, and that is higher than most. But Borage Oil is believed to be the best source (even better than EPO) for GLA-- however, EPO has been studied much more, so there is more scientific evidence to back up its effectiveness. I take both (one in a.m., the other in P.M.) just to cover all bases.

As for the price, I don't recall it being so expensive. But at 210mg per cap, you could probably do with just one a day, which would cut down the cost.