Borago Officinalis – or Borage as it’s fondly called – is one of nature’s audacious little rebels. With its spiked leaves, star-shaped flowers, and that slight hint of mischief in its electric-blue hue, it’s the plant equivalent of a rock star who also happens to bake artisanal bread. Native to the Mediterranean but wandering all over the world like a forgotten troubadour, borage has a rich history of healing, eating, and occasionally raising spirits – in more ways than one.

The Celts believed borage brought courage, so much so that their warriors would drink wine infused with its petals before storming the battlefield. The Romans, ever fond of their mythology, thought borage to be the secret ingredient of Homer’s famed Nepenthe, the potion of forgetfulness that whisked away all woes. In mediaeval Europe, it was called the Herb of Gladness, touted as a remedy to cheer the soul, stave off melancholy, and lift the weight of the world from the weary.

But this isn’t just folklore spun by herbalist mystics and wine-soaked poets. Borage’s prowess is backed by science. Modern research tells us that borage is a nutritional powerhouse. Its seed oil, rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), is hailed as a potent anti-inflammatory agent, fighting off everything from eczema and arthritis to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. GLA is the unsung hero of the plant world—an omega-6 fatty acid rarely found in high concentrations but crucial for maintaining healthy skin, hormone balance, and a robust immune system (Borago Officinalis).

Let’s not forget the rest of the plant. The leaves, despite their somewhat bristly texture, can be tossed into salads or soups, lending a cucumber-like freshness that whispers of summer even in the depths of winter. In Liguria, Italy, borage is used to stuff ravioli, while in Spain, it’s boiled and served alongside potatoes, sautéed with garlic—a humble nod to its culinary versatility. In Iran, it’s brewed into a comforting tea, Gol Gav Zaban, known for soothing colds, easing bronchitis, and calming inflamed kidneys​. The flowers, those dazzling blue starlets, are perhaps most famous for their role in cocktails, where they garnish drinks like miniature constellations sprinkled on top of a well-shaken cosmos.

But before you dive headfirst into a borage-laden feast, a word of caution: Borage contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can be harmful in large doses. These compounds are hepatotoxic and have been linked to liver damage when consumed in excess​. The American Herbal Products Association recommends limiting the consumption of borage leaves, though the seeds and oil remain widely used for their medicinal benefits. As with any wild thing, moderation is key.

Medicinally, borage has long been hailed as a botanical healer for the soul and body alike. “Borage for Courage” was the old adage, and it’s easy to see why. In the high-stakes arena of medieval battlefield or modern-day living room, borage has been relied on to give strength and chase away sorrow. John Gerard, the Renaissance herbalist, swore by its ability to make “the mind glad” and lift the melancholic spirit. Modern phytotherapy continues to rely on borage for its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to regulate adrenal function—ideal for anyone weathering the storms of modern stress​.

Energetically, borage is said to cool and moisten, making it perfect for dry coughs, fevers, and inflamed skin​. Whether brewed into a tea, sprinkled in salads, or added to a cocktail, borage offers a fresh approach to healing that’s as practical as it is poetic. And in a world that sometimes feels more tumultuous than ever, it might just be the herb we all need to find a little more courage—and joy—in our daily lives.

At Trolley'd, we’re proud to use borage flowers as garnishes, turning each drink into a botanical masterpiece. Next time you see a sprig of those starry blue petals floating atop your cocktail, know that you’re not just indulging in a fleeting moment of beauty, but partaking in a tradition as old as the Mediterranean winds.

Borago Officinalis - Latin officinalis refers to plants associated with medicine, herbalism & cookery. Florets, leaves, roots and seeds are edible, although not recommended in high dosage..

Common Names: Starflower, High Plant, Burrage, Bourrache, Bee Plant, Beebread, Ox’s Tongue, 

Folk Names: Bugloss, Herb of Gladness, Borak, Lisan Selvi, Lesan-El-Tour

Botanical Family: Boraginaceae

Native Habitat: It was supposed that main sources of borage are from Syria and Asia Minor while this plant is just found in very little amounts. It seems that this plant has originated from west Mediterranean areas, Spain and North Africa and then has naturalised in many other locations. Historical documents shows that people from North Africa tribes have transferred it to Spain and then to other regions. However, most researchers say that this plant is native to Mediterranean areas.

Toxicity & Allergens: The plant contains the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, lycopsamine and intermedin which are considered to be hepatotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. The American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook recommends Borago ssp. leaf consumption sporadically due to their pyrrolizidine alkaloid content [3]. However, current revisions of Borago ssp. properties suggest that the complex bioactive compound leaf composition of this species is more beneficial than harmful for human health because of its phenolic content [4]. 

Traditional uses:  It has been reported to be used by students to assist in concentration [8], "The sprigs of Borage," wrote John Evelyn, "are of known virtue to revive the hypochondriac and cheer the hard student."

It is used for the treatment of various diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis and eczema. Throughout the Mediterranean, borage has been used since ancient times for culinary and medicinal purposes, for the treatment of swelling and inflammation, respiratory complaints and melancholy[2].

In Germany, the leaves are used as an ingredient in green sauce (Frankfurter Grüne Soẞe). 

In Crete and in the Italian region of Liguria, it is used to fill traditional ravioli pasta (Pansoti di Borragine). Vegetable borage is also very popular in the cuisine of the Spanish regions of Aragon and Navarra (i.e., boiled and sautéed with garlic, served with potatoes).

In Iran, people make tea (Gol Gav Zaban tea) to relieve colds, flu, bronchitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney inflammation [1].

In Phytotherapy, borage is indicated for several conditions that are at least partially related to consciousness; “An invigorating tea of leaves and flowers is ideal for stress, depression, or following a treatment of cortisone. Borage mitigates fever, dry coughs and skin rash. The oil of the seeds is helpful for menstrual problems, nervous intestinal complaints, high blood pressure & hangovers” [5].

Phytochemistry: A large amount of chemical compounds have been isolated from the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of Borage including  *Mucilage, **Tannins, ***Flavonoids, Anti-oxidants, ^Gamma-Linolenic Acid (the highest amount known in any plant), ^^phenolic acids, ^^^pyrrolizidine alkaloids, ͒sterols,  ͒ ͒carotenoids, with some of these already proven to be antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, and antimutagenic activity. The oil also contains the fatty acids, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, eicosenoic acid, erucic acid, and nervonic acid.

History: The Celtic word borrach means ‘courage’. It has been written that Celtic warriors drank wine flavoured with borage before going into battle to give them courage, possibly it was the wine which induced the courage...

Francis Bacon thought that borage had "an excellent spirit to repress the fuliginous vapour of dusky melancholie."[7]. 

John Gerard's Herball mentions an old verse concerning the plant: "Ego Borago, Gaudia semper ago (I, Borage, bring always joys)". He asserts; ‘Those of our time do use the flowers in salads to exhilarate and make the mind glad. There be also many things made of these used everywhere for the comfort of the heart, for the driving away of sorrow and increasing the joy of the mind. The leaves and flowers of Borage put into wine make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadness, dullness and melancholy, as Dioscorides and Pliny affirm. Syrup made of the flowers of Borage comfort the heart, purge melancholy and quiet the frantic and lunatic person. The leaves eaten raw engender good blood, especially in those that have been lately sick’ [2].

Borage is sometimes referred to as the ‘Herb of Gladness’. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder believed that borage was the ‘Nepenthe’ in Homer’s Odyssey, which induced absolute forgetfulness when infused in wine. He called it Euphrosynum after one of the Three Graces (Euphrosyne, the Greek goddess of joy)

Powers & Magical Uses: Energetics; Cooling, moistening and nourishing [9]. Courage, Psychic Powers. Element; air. Planet; Jupiter and under Leo. 

The leaves, flowers and seed, all or any of them are good to expel pensiveness and melancholy [11].

Carrying the fresh blossoms strengthens your courage, place one in your buttonhole for protection when walking outdoors.

A tea of borage induces psychic powers [10].

This ancient cultigen and spice plant is purported to have psychoactive or hallucinogenic effects [6].

Used as a flower essence, it promotes cheerful courage when facing adversity [9].

Keeping borage flowers on the table when doing any kind of divination is said to assist in the reading.

Sprinkling borage around the house brings protection, used indoors it keeps a peaceful household.

Glossary:

Mucilage, Mucilaginous herbs derive their properties from the polysaccharides they contain. These polysaccharides have a ‘slippery’, mild taste and swell in water, producing a gel-like mass that can be used to soothe and protect irritated tissues in the body, such as dry irritated skin and sore or inflamed mucous membranes. All plants produce mucilage in some form to store water as hydrates and as a food reserve, for seed dispersal & germination, and as a membrane thickener and stabiliser

**Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.

***Flavonoids,  a group of natural substances with variable phenolic structures, are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea and wine. These natural products are well known for their beneficial effects on health and efforts are being made to isolate the ingredients so called flavonoids. Flavonoids are now considered as an indispensable component in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic applications. This is attributed to their anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties coupled with their capacity to modulate key cellular enzyme function [12]

^Gamma-Linolenic Acid,  an omega-6 fatty acid, which the body can convert to substances that reduce inflammation and cell growth.It  is used for conditions that affect the skin including systemic sclerosis, psoriasis, and eczema. It is also used for rheumatoid arthritis, polyps in the mouth, high cholesterol and other blood fats, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetic nerve pain, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, depression after childbirth, chronic fatigue syndrome and hay fever.

^^Phenolic Acids, are found in all food groups and they are abundant in cereals, legumes, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, beverages and herbs. They can exert antioxidant activity by scavenging hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical anion, several organic radicals, peroxyl radical, peroxynitrite and singlet oxygen, among others. Furthermore, they act as chain breaking antioxidants and reducing agents. In addition, phenolic acids are important compounds to change cell signalling pathways [13]. 

^^^Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs) constitute a class of plant toxin associated with disease in humans and animals. They are found in a wide variety of plant species in the world and it is estimated that ∼3% of the world's flowering plants contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The toxin is present in more than 12 higher plant families, among which three families, Compositae (Asteraceae), Boraginaceae, and Leguminosae (Fabaceae), contain most toxic PAs [14].

 ͒Sterols, Plant sterols are a group of substances made in plants. Plant sterols are found in the highest amounts in foods like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. Plant sterols are used as medicine. Plant sterols are most commonly used for lowering cholesterol levels

 ͒ ͒Carotenoids, are a class of more than 750 naturally occurring pigments synthesised by plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. These richly coloured molecules are the sources of the yellow, orange, and red colours of many plants [15].

Acknowledgments:

1. Simmons S. A Treasury of Persian Cuisine. 2nd ed. Stamford House Publishing; Hong Kong, China: 2007 
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8. Monique Simmonds, Melanie-Jayne Howes & Jason Irving. The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK, Frances Lincoln Publishing, 2016, pp 39
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10. Scott Cunningham. Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Woodbury, Minnesota, USA, Llewellyn Publications, 1985, p 64
11. Culpeper N. Foster S. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. Sterling Publishing Company, Ontario Canada, 2019, p32
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13. Anoma Chandrasekara, Phenolic Acids, Encyclopedia of Food Chemistry, Academic Press, 2019, pp 535-545
14. Asadi-Samani, M., Bahmani, M., & Rafieian-Kopaei, M. (2014). The chemical composition, botanical characteristics, and biological activities of Borago officinalis: A review. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, S22-S28
15. Gerardo Ibanez, Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids, Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Second Edition), Elsevier, 2005, pp 585-587
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