Substitute for coffee

This plant got its name because it resembles another whose roots bearing an aroma similar to wine, hence “oinos”. It is a tall, biennial plant with yellow flowers, native to North America, whose roots were used in cooking and the seeds as a substitute for coffee during wartime. The seeds are also very oily and contain 2 essential omega-6 fatty acids, often used as supplements, in the form of capsules which can be broke and used locally, or in cosmetics.

The oil from oenothera seeds can help prevent heart diseases or strokes, as well as other diseases, and they can relieve premenstrual pain and breast pain. Even the flowers, leaves and bark have their uses because of their sedative and expectorant properties. But they should not be taken by pregnant women or people taking anti-psychotic medicine and they should be administrated according to the instructions otherwise side effects may occur, like nausea, gastric upset and headache, and there is a possibility that overdose might affect the absorption of other useful vitamins.

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