Borage (Borago officinalis)
Folk Names: Bee Bread, Bugloss, Burrage, Common Bugloss, False Bugloss, Herb of Gladness, Starflower, Euphrosynon (Greek)
Description: Borage is an annual found wild in the Mediterranean and cultivated elsewhere. It grows well in eastern North America and inland as far as Tennessee and Illinois. The hollow, branched and spreading stem grows up to two feet. The deep green leaves are oval or oblong-lanceolate with wavy edges. Both the leaves and stem are covered with prickly white hairs. The basal leaves form a rosette while the stem leaves grow alternately. Blue or purplish, star-shaped flowers appear in loose racemes from June to August. The prominent black anthers form a cone in the center of the flower, commonly referred to as the plant’s “beauty spot.” Each flower produces four, brownish-black nutlets.
Effects: strong
Planet: Jupiter Zodiac Leo
Element: air
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
Blue borage flowers are a traditional motif in embroidery.
Magic:
Borage was known from ancient times for its cooling qualities and refreshing taste. It was added to drinks (and mulled wines) and salads to make people merry. It was said to drive away depression and promote strength of character and optimism. Knights at jousting tournaments drank a borage tincture for courage, and this is remembered in the rhyme:
I, Borage,The fresh blossoms may also be carried for courage, or they can grace a buttonhole for protection. A tea of borage is also said to aid psychic ability, and it may be added to baths and incenses.
bring always courage.
Known Combinations:
none noted
Medical Indications: (Caution: Contact with the skin may cause dermatitis in some sensitive people. Some researchers now believe borage can cause cancer if taken internally over long periods of time.)
Parts used: herb, flowers, seeds
Borage is a source of calcium, potassium, essential oils, gamma-linolenic acid, mucilage, oleic acid, palmitic acid, tannins. It is an aperient, febrifuge, galactagogue, pectoral, tonic, anti-inflammatory, and demulcent. Due to its high GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) content, it has been used to reduce menstrual cramps
Borage has been used as a calmative for nervous conditions from times immemorial. It has also be used as a calmative and anti-inflammatory for pleurisy and peritonitis. It has been ingested to reduce fever and restore strength during convalescence, and to treat problems of the kidney and pulmonary catarrh. The leaves and seeds may be brewed into a tea to stimulate milk flow in nursing mothers.
The fresh herb is used in a wash or poultice externally as eyewash and for inflammations (dermatitis and eczema), and swellings. A wash of borage may be used simply as a skin cleanser.
Nutrition:
Use fresh borage leaves in salads, cold drinks, and fish sauces. The young leaves may be cooked as a vegetable like spinach or used as a pot herb. The flowers can be added as a garnish in punch and iced drinks, in salads, and candied for cakes. The fresh leaves and flowers have a cucumber odor and taste pf cucumber if steeped in water.
Mercantile Uses:
As the name bee bread would imply, borage is a favorite with bees and yields excellent honey.