- Do seed oils with ALA and GLA work? These seed oils contain predominately healthful, polyunsaturated fats such as ALA (as from flax) and/or GLA (as from evening primrose) (See "What It Is"). Substituting these for saturated fats in your diet can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Taken as a supplement, they may help with the following conditions, although the evidence remains only preliminary: acne, ADHD, dry eye, bipolar disorder, diabetic neuropathy, mastitis, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, and Raynaud's phenomenon. (See "What It Does").
- What dose of seed oil supplements should I take? Depending on the use, studies have used daily doses of seed oils that provide from as little as 15 mg to as much as 2,000 mg of ALA or GLA. (See "Dosage"). Keep in mind that only a part of the seed oil is ALA or GLA, so the amount of oil needed could be double or even 10 times higher than the dose of ALA or GLA. For example, about 55% of flaxseed oil is ALA, so a tablespoon of flaxseed oil (weighing about 14,000 mg) provides about 7,700 mg of ALA, while evening primrose oil is only 7 to 10% GLA (about 1,200 mg per tablespoon). (See "What to Consider When Buying")
- Best choice for ALA and GLA seed oils? ConsumerLab.com's tests found that most products were high-quality, although three failed to pass tests for freshness. See CL's Top Picks among products that were Approved.
- Safety and side effects of seed oils: Although generally safe, these oils can cause mild nausea and diarrhea, but there are ways to lessen this. Rarely, allergic reactions to flaxseed have been reported. Use these oils with caution if you are pregnant, have a seizure disorder, hemophilia, take blood-thinning medication, or are considering use in an infant. (See "Concerns and Cautions").
Black Currant Oil, Borage Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Flaxseed Oil, and Hemp Oil Supplements Review: Sources of ALA and GLA (Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acids)
Choose the Best Seed Oil Supplements. Find Out Which Flaxseed and Other Seed Oil Supplements Passed Our Tests

Omega-3 and omega-6 supplements for people -- and pets -- compared in this review:

Barlean's Organic Oils Flax Oil

Finest Nutrition (Walgreens) Flaxseed Oil

Flora Udo's Choice Udo's Oil

GNC Natural Brand Flax Seed Oil

HALO Purely For Pets Dream Coat

Health From the Sun Borage Liquid Gold

Jarrow Formulas Borage

Life Extension Mega GLA with Sesame Lignans

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Oil

Member's Mark [Sam's Club] Natural Flaxseed Oil

Nature's Answer Liquid Evening Primrose Oil

Nature's Bounty Evening Primrose Oil
Nature's Way EFA Gold Flax Oil, Super Lignan

Nature's Way EfaGold Borage

NatureWise Organic Flaxseed Oil

Nutiva Hemp Oil

PipingRock.com Black Currant Seed Oil
Puritan's Pride Evening Primrose Oil

Radiance Platinum [CVS] Evening Primrose Oil

Solaray Black Currant Seed Oil

Solgar Evening Primrose Oil 1300 mg

Spring Valley [Walmart] Evening Primrose Oil

Standard Process MediHerb Evening Primrose Oil

The Missing Link Ultimate Canine Skin & Coat

The Vitamin Shoppe Omega 3-6-9

Trunature [Costco] Evening Primrose Oil

Twinlab Ultra GLA 300

Vitamin World Evening Primrose Oil

Webber Naturals Flaxseed Oil
Make sure the oil supplement you take passed our test and is right for you!
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Summary
In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:
- Which omega-3 and omega-6 supplements passed or failed testing and which were chosen as Top Picks
- Direct comparisons of prices, ingredients, amounts of omega fatty acids, and the cost to get these fatty acids from products
- What omega-3 and omega-6 supplements can and cannot do for cardiovascular disease and inflammatory diseases such as eczema, mastitis, dry eye, an acne
- Dosage for specific uses
- Concerns, cautions, potential drug interactions, and side effects of these seed oil supplements
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