Borago officinalis

Borago officinalis, commonly known as borage or starflower, is a plant species belonging to the family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales.

Description

Borago officinalis is an annual herb that grows up to 60–100 cm (2.0–3.3 ft) tall, with hairy stems and leaves. The leaves are alternate, simple, and 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long. The flowers are complete, star-shaped with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue in color, although pink flowers are sometimes observed. White flowered types are also cultivated.

Cultivation and uses

Borago officinalis is cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses. The leaves are edible and the plant is grown in gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe. The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds.

Medicinal uses

Borage is used in traditional medicine for the relief of arthritis, premenstrual syndrome and menopause symptoms. Borage seed oil has one of the highest amounts of gamma-linolenic acid of seed oils — higher than blackcurrant seed oil or evening primrose oil, to which it is often considered similar.

Toxicity

Borage does contain small amounts (2-10 ppm) of the liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). These are potentially carcinogenic compounds that can cause liver damage and other health problems in large doses.

See also

• List of culinary herbs and spices
• List of companion plants
• Herbaceous plant