Borage
Botanical Description & Habitat
Borago officinalis
Family
Boraginaceae
Common Names
Bugloss
Burage
Common bugloss
Habitat
Middle and southern Europe, northern Africa.
Description
Borage is an annual plant with a branched, hairy stem growing up to 2 feet in height. Its oblong leaves are deep green, bristly, and wrinkled. Upper leaves grow alternately on the stem and branches, with basal leaves growing in a spiral arrangement originating from a central point. Blue or purplish star-shaped flowers grow in loose racemes on long peduncles, blooming from June to August.
Medicinal Parts
Flowers and dried stems
Historical Properties & Uses
Borage contains liberal amounts of both mucilage and tannic acid. The presence of these components accounts for most of the herb's uses. Most mucilaginous plants have been applied as a cough medicine at one time or another, either as expectorants, antitussives, or cough suppressants. Mucilaginous herbs are also commonly used as demulcents and emollients to attenuate swelling, inflammation, pain and infection of skin sores, wounds, bites, rashes, etc. The tannic acid imparts astringency to the herb. Borage also contains a good concentration of mineral salts which could account for the herb's purported diuretic action.
Of greater importance than any of these, however, is the presence of a high concentration of gammalinolenic acid or GLA, which has been strongly implicated in the treatment, cure and prevention of numerous conditions that depend upon the body's ability to produce prostaglandin E1. For a discussion of those properties, refer to Evening Primrose.
This herb has not achieved approval status by the German Commission E. Either there was insufficient evidence in favor, or a contraindication.
References:
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Method of Action
Not much pharmacological research has been carried out on borage, mainly because comfrey has almost everything this herb has and in greater amounts. However, because comfrey has been lately indicted as poisonous, there may be greater interest in this herb. It contains, for example, allantoin, the agent in comfrey that has been primarily responsible for its amazing healing properties (see comfrey for details).
Borage also contains a good deal of gammalinolenic acid, GLA, which is fully discussed in the entry under Evening Primrose. Briefly, GLA is a precusor in the metabolic pathway that terminates in the production of prostaglandin E1, a substance with numerous therapeutic applications.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
Possible Interactions
The anti-inflammatory activity of borage can be seriously inhibited by phenobarbital as well as by certain other sedatives and hypnotics, such as chloral hydrate and meprobamate. This is also true of beta-adrenergic blocking agents, such as propranolol.
The tannin in borage may potentiate the antibiotic activity of echinacea. The tannin in tea made from this herb may be inactivated by the addition of milk or cream.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Other members of the Family Boraginaceae (e.g., Comfrey) contain high amounts of the very toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, but such chemicals have never been found in Borage.
The German Commission E, however, notes the possibility for hepatotoxicity.
References:
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Preparation & Administration
Tea
made from 1/2 - 1 tsp dried whole plant
three times a day
Fomentation of flowers
applied externally
Note: This Herbal Preparation information is a summary of data from books and articles by various authors. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
References
Am Hospital Formulary Service. Am Soc of Hosp Pharm. Wash, D.C.
Awang, DVC: Herbal Medicine - Borage. Can. Pharm. J. 1990, 123:121.
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Bressler, R., M.D. Bogdonoff & G.J. Subak-Sharpe. 1981. The Physicians Drug Manual. Doubleday & Co, Inc. Garden City, NY. 1213 pp.
Clark, T.H., A.H. Conney & B.P. Harpole, et.al. 1967. Drug interactions that can affect your patients. Pat Care, 1(11).pp.33-71.
Committee on Pharmocopaeia of the Am Institute of Homeopathy, The Homeopathic Pharmacopaeia of the United States. 8th ed., Vol 1. Otis Clapp and Son, Agents, Boston, l981.
Felter, H.W. and Lloyd, J.U. King's Am Dispensatory, 18th Ed. 1898, reprinted by Eclectic Medical Publications: Portland, Or, 1983
Goodman, L.S. & A. Gilman. 1975. Pharm Basis of Thera. Macmillan, NY.
Hansten, P.D. 1979. Drug Interactions, 4th ed. Lea & Febiger, Phila.
Kastrup, E.K., ed. 1981. Drug Facts and Comparisons, 1982 edition. Facts and Comparisions Division, J.P. Lippincott Co, Phila(St. Louis).
The Lawrence Review of Natural Products. Aug, 1992.
List, P. & L. Hoerhammer. 1969-1976. Hagers Hanbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, vols. 2-5. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Martin, E. Drug Interactions Index, 1978/79. J.B. Lippincott Co., Phila.
Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Exper. Psych., Brigham Young University. Director of Nebo Institute of Herbal Sciences. Director of Behavior Change Agent Training Institute. Director of Research, Nova Corp.
Riesterer, L. & R. Jaques. 1968. Interference by beta-adrenergic blocking agents with the antiinflammatory action of various drugs. Helv Physiol Acta, 26. pp. 287-293.
Stuart, D.M. 1968. Drug metabolism Part 2. Drug interactions. PharmIndex, 10(10). pp. 4-16.
Vincent, D. & G. Segonzac. 1953. Comptes Rendus des Seances de la Societe de Biologie et de ses Filiales, 147. pp. 1776-1779.
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