History
GLA was first isolated from the seed oil of evening primrose. This herbal plant was grown by Native Americans to treat swelling in the body. In the 17th century, it was introduced to Europe and became a popular folk remedy, earning the name king's cure-all. in 1919, Heiduschka and Lüft extracted the oil from evening primrose seeds and described an unusual linolenic acid, which they name γ-. Later, the exact chemical structure was characterized by Riley.
Although there are α- and γ-forms of linolenic acid, there is no β-form. One was once identified, but it turned out to be an artifact of the original analytical process.
Read more about this topic: gamma-Linolenic Acid
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