Borage

Parts Usually Used

Herb, flowers, leaves, seed

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Borage is a self-seeding annual plant; the hollow, bristly, branched and spreading stem grows up to 2 feet tall. The leaves are bristly, oval or oblong-lanceolate, the basal ones forming a rosette and the others growing alternately on the stem and branches. The striking, blue or purplish, star-shaped flowers grow in loose racemes from June to August. Bees are very fond of borage.

Where Found

Grows in the Mediterranean countries and is cultivated elsewhere. Native to Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa and has spread to North America.

Medicinal Properties

Aperient, diaphoretic, demulcent, febrifuge, galactagogue, pectoral, tonic

Biochemical Information

Mucilage, tannin, traces of essential oil. Seeds: Gamma Lineolinic Acid (GLA)

Legends, Myths and Stories

Borage tea has a cucumber-like flavor. Made from fresh or dried leaves; served hot or cold. At one time was used to flavor wine. In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, borage was known for its cooling quality and refreshing flavor and was said to make men merry. Also referred to as the “herb of courage”. The lovely blue star shaped flowers are used to enhance cold drinks, gelatin, fruit salads and candied to decorate cakes and confectioneries.

Only the fresh flowers are used. Borage is an easily grown annual but likes plenty of space in a sunny location. There is some controversy over the source of the borage name. Some say the Latin Borago is a corruption of corago, from cor, the heart, and ago, I bring. Others point out that a connection is apparent between the plant’s name, its hairy appearance, and the low Latin term for flock of wool, burra, and its derivatives, borra (Italian) and bourra (French), both of which mean much the same thing.

Still a third opinion suggested comes from an apparent connection between the Celtic term, barrach, which means “a man of courage”. Ancient Celtic warriors drank wine with borage to give them courage before going into battle. Called Langue de Boeuf and also bugloss, one signifies Ox-tongue in Greek, and the other signifies the same in French. Borage is believed to have originated in Aleppo, a city in northwestern Syria.

In medieval times, borage tea was given to competitors in tournaments as a moral booster.

Uses

Historically, herbalists utilized the plant for fevers, coughs, colds, sore throats, and to loosen phlegm as a respiratory decongestant. Traditional accounts credited it with counteracting poisons, snakebites, and insect stings, as well as supporting recovery and restoring vitality after convalescence. Practitioners recommended preparations of the herb for digestive complaints, jaundice, and conditions affecting the heart and adrenal glands.

It was also employed as a gargle for sores of the mouth and throat. Folk traditions made use of the seeds for premenstrual symptoms, while both the leaves and seeds were believed to promote lactation. Externally, herbalists applied the fresh juice or poultices made from the leaves to skin afflictions, including ringworm, tetters, scabs, ulcers, and inflamed swellings, and utilized preparations of the fresh herb as an eye wash.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.

David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974