        |
|
Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas Borage
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedHerb, flowers, leaves Description of Plant(s) and CultureBorage is a self-seeding annual plant; the hollow, bristly, branched and spreading stem grows up to Where FoundGrows in the Mediterranean countries and is cultivated elsewhere. Native to Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa and has spread to North America. Medicinal PropertiesAperient, diaphoretic, demulcent, febrifuge, galactagogue, pectoral, tonic Biochemical InformationMucilage, tannin, traces of essential oil. Seeds: Gamma Lineolinic Acid (GLA) Legends, Myths and StoriesBorage 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. UsesSaid to reduce fever, cough, sore throat, colds, decongestant for the lungs, expel poisons of all kinds due to snake bites, insect stings, itch, ringworms, tetters, scabs, sores, ulcers, a gargle for sores in the mouth and throat, loosens phlegm, and for restoring vitality after a convalescence. It is credited with antidotal effect against poisons. Useful in nervous conditions. Recommended for pleurisy and peritonitis, heart, adrenal glands, and entire digestive system, jaundice. Leaves and seeds stimulate the flow of milk (excessive milk flow is checked by taking periwinkle); the fresh herb used as an eye wash, and as a poultice for inflammations. The juice from a crushed plant applied direct to the skin will destroy ringworm. Contact with the fresh leaves may cause dermatitis in sensitive persons. Said to have been prescribed Externally, a poultice of leaves applied to inflamed swellings has been helpful. Formulas or DosagesProlonged use of borage is not advisable. Infusion: use Nutrient ContentPotassium How SoldExtract: mix Capsules: take up to WarningContact with the fresh leaves may cause dermatitis in sensitive persons.
Resource LinksLiveStrong.com: How Does Borage Oil Help the Body? LiveStrong.com: Borage Supplements LiveStrong.com: Borage Oil & Eczema LiveStrong.com: Borage Oil & Bilberry Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Borage U.S. National Library of Medicine: Borage Seed Oil Bastyr University: Borage Oil Relieves Periodontitis PubMed.gov: Borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis. PubMed.gov: Clinical inquiries. Do nonmedicated topicals relieve childhood eczema? Bibliography
Herbal Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley., Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition
|
|
||
Bugloss
The Herb Book
, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.
, by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.