Borage

The flowers of the Borage are good for use in salads as a garnish. Not only do they look very nice (pink and purple), but they taste slightly sweet from the nectar. Be careful not to put in the hairy green bits though, they're not so tasty. It seems to be an easy enough plant to grow, and doesn't need much if any looking after (not in the climate here, anyway).

Borage - Borago officinalis (bugloss, burrage, common bugloss)

Borage is an annual plant with a hollow, bristly, branched and spreading stem. It grows up to 2 feet tall. The leaves are also bristly and are oval or oblong-lanceolate. The leaves at the base of the plant form a rosette, while the upper leaves grow alternately on the stem and branches. The star-shaped flowers grow from June to August and are blue or purplish in colour.

Borage is aperient, diaphoretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, pectoral and tonic. It is said to be good for reducing fever and restoring vitality during convalescence from illness. It's diaphoretic property is believed to have some antidotal effect against poisons. It may also have some calmative actions against nervous conditions. This calmative property, along with it's anti-inflammatory action has lead to it being recommended for treating pleurisy and petrotinitis. The leaves and seeds of borage will stimulate the flow of milk in nursing mothers. The fresh herb may be used as an eye wash or as a poultice for inflammations, however, contact with fresh leaves of the plant may cause dermatitis in sensitive skin types.

Prolonged use of this herb is not advisable.

Bor"age (?), n. [OE. borage (cf. F. bourrache, It. borraggine, borrace, LL. borago, borrago, LGr. ), fr. LL. borra, F. bourre, hair of beasts, flock; so called from its hairy leaves.] Bot.

A mucilaginous plant of the genus Borago (B. officinalis), which is used, esp. in France, as a demulcent and diaphoretic.

© Webster 1913.