Black currant seed oil: Evidence, Trial Doses & Interactions

About Black currant seed oil

Seed oil containing roughly 15–17% gamma-linolenic acid together with alpha-linolenic acid and a few percent stearidonic acid — an unusual combination of omega-6 and omega-3 intermediates in one oil.

Black currant seed oil is the least-studied of the three commercial GLA oils and is usually sold on the argument that it supplies both GLA and stearidonic acid, so it can feed both the anti-inflammatory omega-6 and the omega-3 branch at once. That argument is chemically reasonable and almost entirely untested. A small number of trials have looked at immune markers in older adults and at rheumatoid arthritis, with results too sparse and too small to support a conclusion either way.

Sold as

Softgel, Liquid oil

Standardised to

Typically 15–17% GLA, 12–14% ALA, 2–4% stearidonic acid — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.

Also known as

Blackcurrant seed oil, Ribes nigrum seed oil

Regulation: Sold as a dietary supplement with no pre-market efficacy or safety review.

What the research used

The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Black currant seed oil actually administered.

These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.

Studied for Immune marker studies in older adults
4.5 g
Not enough
Black currant seed oil daily · 8 weeks to 2 months
From one small trial reporting changes in delayed-type hypersensitivity response. Dosing for this oil is not well established and no clinical outcome has been demonstrated.

This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.

When it was taken

Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.

None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.

With food
Not enough
Taken with food as a matter of tolerability. No comparison has been made.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.

Immune function

Immune Health

Not enough evidence

One small trial in older adults reported changes in a skin-test measure of cell-mediated immunity. That is a laboratory endpoint in a single small study, and there is not enough human research to say anything about infections or illness.

Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

View the 2 sources

Black currant seed oil supplementation of mothers enhances IFN-γ and suppresses IL-4 production in breast milk.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology · 2013 · PMID 23980846
Effect of dietary supplementation with black currant seed oil on the immune response of healthy elderly subjects.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · The American journal of clinical nutrition · 1999 · PMID 10500023

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Joint comfort

Joint Health

Not enough evidence

A single small trial in rheumatoid arthritis reported reduced signs of disease activity. It has not been replicated, and the wider GLA literature in this indication is itself rated low quality.

Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated not enough evidenceby default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Things to know

Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.

Interaction
Bleeding risk and antiplatelet effects
Interacts withWarfarin, direct oral anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs
Shares the platelet effects attributed to GLA-rich oils. The usual caution applies alongside anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs and before surgery.
Worth knowing
Very little human data
Fewer than a handful of trials exist. Claims made for this oil are borrowed from borage and evening primrose research, which is itself weak or negative.
Worth knowing
Oxidation and storage
A polyunsaturated seed oil with the same rancidity problem as its neighbours. Cool, dark storage and a short post-opening life are the practical requirements.

Black currant seed oil

What black currant seed oil may help with

About Black currant seed oil

What the research used

When it was taken

With food

The evidence in depth

Immune function

Joint comfort

Things to know

Bleeding risk and antiplatelet effects

Very little human data

Oxidation and storage

What black currant seed oil may help with

About Black currant seed oil

What the research used

When it was taken

🍽️With food

The evidence in depth

Immune function

Joint comfort

Things to know

Bleeding risk and antiplatelet effects

Very little human data

Oxidation and storage

With food