Borago officinalis

Annual herb growing to 0.6 meters tall and 0.3 meters wide at medium rate. Hardy to UK zone 7, not frost-tender. Flowers June to October; seeds ripen July to October. Hermaphroditic and bee-pollinated; attracts wildlife. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage and poor soil tolerance. Adapts to mildly acid, neutral, and very alkaline pH. Thrives in semi-shade or full sun and tolerates drought.

Description

An annual herb. It is a sprawling plant. It can be 45-75 cm high and spread 45 cm wide. The stout stems and leaves are covered with stiff hairs. The lower leaves are on leaf stalks that have winged extensions near their base. The upper leaves are smaller and have blades without stalks. The flowers are blue or pink and star shaped. They have black centres. The flowers are on stalks 1.5-4 cm long. They are in clusters on the ends of branches. The nutlets are brownish-black. They are wrinkled and have a base which curves inward.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Oil Edible Uses: Colouring Oil Tea Leaves - raw or cooked. They can be used as a pot-herb or be added to salads. They are also added whole as a flavouring to various drinks such as Pimms and wine-based drinks. The leaves are rich in potassium and calcium, they have a salty cucumber flavour. Very hairy, the whole leaves have an unpleasant feeling in the mouth and so they are best chopped up finely and added to other leaves when eaten in a salad. The leaves should always be used fresh, because they lose their flavour and colour if dried. Flowers - raw. They are used as a decorative garnish on salads and summer fruit drinks. The flowers are very nice, both to look at and to taste with a sweet slightly cucumber-like flavour. A refreshing tea is made from the leaves and/or the flowers. The dried stems are used for flavouring beverages. The seed yields 30% oil, 20% of which is gamma-linolenic acid. Total yields are 0.35 - 0.65 tonnes per hectare. Unfortunately, the seed ripens intermittently over a period of time and falls from the plant when it is ripe, this makes harvesting the seeds in quantity very difficult. An edible blue dye can be obtained from the flowers. It is used to colour vinegar.

Traditional Uses

The flowers and leaves are used to flavour liqueurs and summer drinks. The flowers are also sucked. The young leaves can be used in salads. They have a cucumber like flavour. They are also fried in batter. They are also stuffed like grape leaves. The older leaves are boiled and used in soups. They are also added to omelettes. They are used in pickles. CAUTION: It may not be wise to eat large amounts over a long time due to Pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Medicinal Uses

Antirheumatic Demulcent Depurative Diaphoretic Diuretic Emollient Expectorant Febrifuge Hypotensive Lenitive Poultice Sedative Skin Women's complaints Borage is a fairly common domestic herbal remedy that has been used since ancient times. It has a particularly good reputation for its beneficial affect on the mind, being used to dispel melancholy and induce euphoria. It is a soothing saline, diuretic herb that soothes damaged or irritated tissues. The leaves, and to a lesser extent the flowers, are demulcent, diaphoretic, depurative, mildly diuretic, emollient, expectorant, febrifuge, lenitive and mildly sedative. An infusion is taken internally in the treatment of a range of ailments including fevers, chest problems and kidney problems, though it should not be prescribed to people with liver problems. Externally it is used as a poultice for inflammatory swellings. The leaves are harvested in late spring and the summer as the plant comes into flower. They can be used fresh or dried but should not be stored for more than one year because they soon lose their medicinal properties. The seeds are a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid, this oil helps to regulate the hormonal systems and lowers blood pressure. It is used both internally and externally, helping to relieve skin complaints and pre-menstrual tension. Used for the treatment of phlebitis (inflammation of the veins) .

Known Hazards

In addition to the liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids found in the leaves and seed oil, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has advised that honey from borage contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), transferred to the honey through pollen collected from the flowers, and recommends that commercial honey production select for raw honey with limited PA content to prevent contamination.

Distribution

They can grow in full sun or light shade. They do best in a fairly rich, moist, well drained soil. In the tropics it can be grown in mountain regions. In Hobart Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 5-10.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andorra, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, China, Condo DR, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Europe, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Middle East, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Norway, Pacific, Philippines, Portugal, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Tasmania, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay, USA, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil, preferring a dry soil and a sunny position. It grows particularly well in loose, stony soils with some chalk and sand. Plants are tolerant of poor dry soils, though much bigger specimens are produced when the plants are growing in better conditions. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 8.3. Borage is often grown as a culinary plant in the herb garden. Although an annual, it usually maintains itself by self-sowing, sometimes in quite a prolific manner, as long as the soil is disturbed by hoeing etc. Plants often develop mildew when growing in dry conditions or towards the end of the growing season. Flowers are a deeper blue when grown in poorer soils. The flowers are rich in a sweet nectar and are very attractive to bees. The growing plant is a good companion for strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes and most other plants. It is said to deter Japanese beetle and tomato hornworms. A self-seeding annual.

Propagation

Seed - sow April/May in situ. The plants quickly develop a stout tap-root and do not transplant successfully. The seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn, this will produce larger plants and earlier flowering. The plant usually self-sows prolifically.

Other Uses

Dye Oil Repellent The growing plant is said to repel insects. A blue dye is obtained from the flowers. This turns pink on contact with acids. Special Uses Attracts Wildlife Dynamic accumulator Food Forest

Production

It grows quickly. The leaves are normally used fresh. They can be used dried but must be dried quickly in a dry well ventilated place.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Notes

There are 3 Borago species.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

Jörg Hempel

Safe

Borage

Borago officinalis

(c) Sergio Ibarra, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sergio Ibarra

Foxglove: Tubular pink/purple spotted flowers on tall spike, soft velvety leaves.

Borage: Star-shaped blue flowers, coarse bristly hairs, cucumber-like taste/smell.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Agurkle, Bburraina, Bee bread, Boragine, Boretse, Boratsino, Borraga, Borrainas, Borraja, Borrajas, Bou cassal, Bou chenaf, Boukhrich, Bou krich, Bouroi, Bourrache, Bugloss, Burraccelle, Burraccia, Buragine, Cool-tankard, Foudelggem, Gabbuina, Gurkmetra, Harcha, Iles ouaral, Ligabuinna, Star Flower, Talewort, Tament, Tizizoua, Vurraine, Vurrania, Zdravilna boraga

References (83)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 77
• Ben Ismail, H., 2013, Edible Wild Vegetables Used in North West of Tunisia. PARIPEX - Indian Journal of Reearch 2(9) :219-221
• Benvenuti, S. & Mazzoncini, M., 2021, The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits. Frontiers in Plant Science Article 569499.
• Bianchini, F., Corbetta, F., and Pistoia, M., 1975, Fruits of the Earth. Cassell. p 58

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