Scientists have pinpointed how evening primrose oil fights breast tumours. It is down to a substance in the oil called gamma-linolenic acid that acts on the same receptor in tumours as the powerful breast cancer drug Herceptin. Unlike Herceptin, which blocks the Her-2/neu receptor, GLA interferes with the gene carrying the DNA code needed to make the receptor work. The US work in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute applies to about 30% breast cancers.
