Borago officinalis

Common & Alternative Names

• Borage
• Burrage
• Borago
• Borrage
• Euphrosinum
• Beebread
• Starflower
 Plant Family - Boraginaceae
• Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis)
• Alkanet (Alkanna tuberculata)
• Bugloss (Anchusa officinalis)
• Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
• Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
• Gromwell (Lithospermum officinale)
 Description and Habitat
• Borage is an annual plant; self-sows; about 0.5m
tall
• Hairy stem, hairy leaves and star-shaped blue
flowers with five petals
• Stiff bristle-like hairs
• Borage originated in Aleppo, in north-west Syria
• Hot, dry summers and wet, cold winters
• Soils are sandy and of poor quality
• Now naturalised throughout Europe, mostly near
dwellings or on waste sites
 Parts Used Medicinally
• Leaves and flowers
• Flowers, flowering tops, seed oil
• Dried leaves
 History, Folklore &
Traditional Use
Borage for Courage and Herb of Gladness
“Borage is called in shops Borago: Pliny calleth it Euphrosium
because it makes a man merry and joyful: which thing also the
old verse concerning Borage doth testifie:
Ego Borago gaudia semper ago.
I Borage bring always courage.
Those of our time do use the floures in sallads, to exhilerate and
make the minds glad. There be also many things made of them,
used for the comfort of the heart, to drive away sorrow, &
increase the joy of the minde.
The leaves and floures of Borrage put into wine make men and
women glad and merry, driving away all sadnesse, dulnesse,
and melancholy.
Syrrup made of the floures of Borrage comforteth the heart,
purgeth melancholy, and quieteth the phrenticke or lunaticke
person.”
(John Gerard, The Herball, 1597 quoted in Smith, 1978)
 History, Folklore &
Traditional Use
• Traditional uses
– Diuretic
– Diaphoretic
– Expectorant
– Anti-inflammatory
– Demulcent
– Mild sedative and anti-depressant
 Active Constituents
• Flowers and leaves
– Mucilages ~11%
– Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (amabiline, supinidine, lycopsamine, intermedine)
~0.004% (40mg/g)
– Potassium and calcium
– Saponins and tannins
– Silicon
• Oil
– gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) ~20-26%
– linoleic acid ~30-40%
– oleic acid ~15%
– no alkaloids
• Note
– Veno-occlusive disease has been associated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids
(PAs) and so most herbs containing them have been scheduled in
Australia, including borage, comfrey, coltsfoot, liferoot and lungwort.
 Body System Affinity
• Central Nervous System
• Cardiovascular System
• Respiratory System
• Eyes
• Integumentary System
• Female Reproductive System
• Endocrine System
• Urinary System
• Gastrointestinal Tract
 Herbal Actions
• Central Nervous System: Nervine relaxant; Nervine
• Cardiovascular System: Alterative, Depurative;
diaphoretic
• Respiratory System: Demulcent; Expectorant
• Eyes: Anti-inflammatory
• Integumentary System: Anti-inflammatory; Vulnerary;
Emollient
• Female Reproductive System: Galactagogue
• Endocrine System: Hypothyroidic; Adrenal tonic
(adaptogen)
• Urinary System: Diuretic
• Keynote: Cooling, Soothing, Flowing, Fortifying
 Therapeutic Applications/
Medicinal Uses
• Central Nervous System: Down-cast, heavy hearted, weighed down or
depressed, nervousness, insomnia, fainting, dizziness, melancholy,
overwork and exhaustion (especially in menopausal women)
• Cardiovascular System: Heart palpitations from hyperthyroidism (not heart
disease), varicose veins, fever (including scarlet fever, chicken pox and
peritonitis)
• Respiratory System: Colds, bronchitis, chronic catarrh, congestion,
pleurisy, fever
• Eyes: Sore, inflamed eyes
• Integumentary System: Corns, skin rashes, ring worms
• Female Reproductive System: Softens the cervix in pregnancy, nervous
exhaustion post partum, diminished lactation, menopause in exhausted
women, menopausal hot flushes
• Endocrine System: Hyperthyroidism
• Gastrointestinal Tract: Indigestion, jaundice
• Mental / Emotional: Worn down, nervous, exhausted, melancholic people,
especially menopausal women
 The
Modern
Warrior
Physiological Modes of Action
• Mucilages
– “slimy” substances - soothe and moisturise mucous membranes
and skin (demulcent and emollient)
– antidiarrhoeal or a laxative effect
– adsorb toxins and wastes
– reduce the growth of bacteria
• Saponins
– lower surface tension in aqueous environments
– cleanse mucous membranes and loosen up thick mucous
– many actions including anticancer, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-
inflammatory, anti-stress, adaptogenic, oestrogenic, expectorant
and diuretic
• Tannins
– tone and astringe, removing excess fluids from the body, drying
out congested mucous membranes, as well as protecting them
Physiological Modes of Action
• Potassium
– required in higher amounts during times of adrenal stress
– facilitates homeostasis of the eyes
– maintenance of normal water balance
– increases secretion of FSH, ADH and aldosterone
– inhibits platelet aggregation and the formation of arterial thrombi
• Calcium
– required in greater amounts during pregnancy, lactation and depression
– activates insulin and thyroid hormone release and decreases
parathyroid hypertensive factor
– decreases cellular proliferation
– maintains electrolyte and blood pH balance
• Silicon
– helps to rebuild the nervous system
– contributes to resilience of connective tissue
– decreases the infiltration of cholesterol into arterial walls
– assists with muscle contractibility nerve transmission and facilitates
sodium pumps in the body
Physiological Modes of Action
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
– do not have generally have therapeutic properties
associated with them and are studied more often for
their toxicity
– alkylate DNA and are known hepatotoxins and
carcinogens
• Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and linoleic acid
– contribute omega-6 fatty acids
– helpful in conditions such as depression, diabetes and
cancer prevention
Formulations / Other Options
• Formulations
– Internal cleanse: Salad of Elderflowers,
Borage and Chicory
– Chest infection: Combined with Elderflower
and Plantain – drop dose (author’s use)
• Other Options
– Adaptogen: Avena sativa, Equisetum
arvense, homeopathic Silicea
– Peritonitis: Eupatorium macalatum
 Cautions/ Contraindications
• Dosage should be small
• The hairs on fresh leaves may be a skin
irritant
 Dosage
• The suggested dosage varies from author to author; for
example:
– 1 teaspoon dried herb as a tea 3x per day or 1-4ml tincture 3x
per day
– 2g dried herb as a tea 3x per day
– 1-3 drops tincture 1-3x per day
– ½ to 1 drachm (1.8 to 3.6ml) of fluid extract
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloid intakes should not exceed 1mg per
day. Since 1g of borage contains 40 mg of PA, only 1
drop of 1:2 extract should be consumed each day.
However, all authors exceed this in their suggested
dosages.
• The guideline therefore is to use a low dose only
(scheduled for internal use by the TGA in Australia)
– However, Starflower (Borage) Oil can be used internally.
 Energetics

• Taste: slightly sweet and salty; moist,

cooling

• Tissue States: atrophy, stagnation

• Galenic classification: cold and moist in

the second degree
 Other Comments/
Observations/ Insights
• Doctrine of Signatures
– Upright stance of plant – courage, fortification, which support the
drooping flowers.
– Hairy leaves – help the body retain water; Silica (tissue stength
& integrity);
– Spikes on leaves - represent spikes in life and irritations.
– Star-shaped flowers – represent the heavens.
– Flowers are blue/ mauve – pointing to the higher chakras
(pineal?)
– Sweet flavour – nourishing, building
– Cucumber flavour – cooling and soothing.