Borage Oil (GLA) and eczema

What 3 graded rows on borage oil (gla) agree on for eczema, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.

Consensus finder Rows from the Borage Oil (GLA) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides

What the rows agree on

Each block and row is one graded row from the Borage Oil (GLA) page, with its PubMed record.

Supplement

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3 rows · 1,907 people

They agree: all 3 rows found no difference.

No difference

Improved

Each block is one evidence row, sized by how many people it enrolled, with its grade inside.

From the rows

Every row is graded No effect, our grade for adequately powered trials that found no effect.

The rows run from 151 to 1,596 people, published from 1999 to 2013: 1 pooled review and 2 single studies.

3 no difference

No effectGlobal eczema symptoms (atopic dermatitis) · No difference
Meta-analysis, 27 studies · n 1,596 · 2013 · Children and adults with atopic eczema in 27 trials (8 of borage oil, 19 of evening primrose oil)
Varied by trial · Varied by trial
Borage oil did not improve global eczema symptoms over placebo as rated by participants or doctors; the authors concluded oral borage oil and evening primrose oil are not effective for eczema.
Row on the Borage Oil (GLA) page · PubMed 23633319 (opens PubMed)
No effectSteroid cream use in adult atopic eczema · No difference
RCT · n 160 · 1999 · Adults with stable, moderate atopic eczema (multicentre, Europe)
500 mg borage oil daily · 24 weeks
Overall response did not reach statistical significance versus a miglyol placebo; benefit appeared only in a post-hoc subgroup.
Row on the Borage Oil (GLA) page · PubMed 10233322 (opens PubMed)
No effectEczema severity (SASSAD score) in adults and children · No difference
RCT · n 151 · 2003 · Adults and children with atopic eczema (England); 140 evaluable, 69 of them children
Adults 920 mg GLA/day (8 capsules); children 4 capsules/day · 12 weeks
Scores fell from 30 to 27 with borage oil and from 28 to 23 with placebo; the difference favoured placebo by 1.4 points (95% CI -2.2 to 5.0).
Row on the Borage Oil (GLA) page · PubMed 14670885 (opens PubMed)