This page is about Borage, Borago officinalis, its medicinal and other properties and place in folklore.
Borage is an annual plant, native to Europe but widely naturalised elsewhere, growing even in dry soil though preferring sun to shade. It can be grown easily from seed, and once grown will self-seed readily.
Another common name for the plant is star-flower, from the shape of the bright blue flowers. Their attraction to bees also gives the alternative name bee’s bread. This image shows one approaching a borage flower in Congleton Physic Garden.
The stem and leaves are covered with coarse, prickly hairs, and the plant’s name may derive from the medieval Latin burra, meaning rough-coated. The French common name is bourrache, known to be derived from the same Latin word.
Medicinal Uses
Borage has been used extensively across Europe for centuries, for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It was mentioned by Pliny, who wrote a Natural History in in the first century AD. It was listed by Galen (born 130AD), whose works formed the basis of European medical practice well into the 17th century, when Nicholas Culpeper said: The Leaves and Root are to very good purpose used in putrid and Pestilential Fevers, to defend the Heart, and help to resist and expel the Poison, or the Venom of other Creatures.
Infusions, syrups and lotions were usually made from leaves and flowers:
to treat rheumatism, colds, and bronchitis;
to induce sweating and diuresis in patients with fever;
to soothe sore throats;
to treat ‘cloudy’ eyes;
to treat depression; and
to act as a tonic in cases of heart disease.
In modern pharmaceutical studies, there have been some trials of borage compounds in treating osteoporosis, diabetic neuropathy and arthritis, but data is still limited and research continues.
However, it is still widely used by medical herbalists in nutritional supplements.
The seeds are used to make borage seed oil, with a high content of the essential fatty acid known as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Supplements with GLA are considered to have a beneficial effect on inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and atopic eczema. It is also used in other nutritional supplements as alongside these essential fatty acids, borage also contains high levels of calcium and iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins B and C, and beta carotene.
Other Uses
Culinary – The fresh plant is said to have a salty flavour and a cucumber-like odour.The whole plant is edible, and in Italy it is served as a vegetable side-dish or used in ravioli and other pasta dishes. The leaves have been used as a pot-herb since long before medieval times. Flowers can be candied for cake decorations or made into sweet syrups, and are added fresh to summer punches and salads.
Horticultural – As well as an attractive floral addition to any garden, borage may be used as a companion plant in the vegetable plot. It is believed that borage deters tomato worm, and is thus a natural form of pest control. Borage is also attractive to blackfly, so as a decoy near beans and peas it may prevent them being blighted.
Myth and Magic
An alternative explanation for the common name suggests the Latin name borago is a corruption of corago (courage). The old Celtic word borrach, meaning courage, has also been applied to the plants, and Celtic warriors drank wine flavoured with borage to give them courage in battle. Borage leaves and flowers were also eaten for courage by Roman soldiers.
Another alleged attribute of the flower was its ability to cheer, as John Gerard in the sixteenth century wrote: The leaves and flowers of Borage put into wine make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadness.
Acknowledgements– thanks for information to:
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal
www.drugs.com
www.gypsymagickspells.blogspot.co.uk
www.flowersociety.org
www.plantscience.psu.ed/medieval-garden
www.seedaholic.com
www.jekkas.com
www.thespruce.com
