Life cycle: Herbaceous annual
Native: Mediterranean region/Europe
Height: 3 feet.
Sun: Full sun to partial shade.
Soil: Any soil. Well drained, moist is best.
Water: Moderate. Does not tolerate drought.
Flowers: Blue to pink star shaped flowers that bloom all summer long.
Propagation: Sow indoors or plant seed directly outdoors in late spring. Seed is easy to start and needs no special treatment. Cover seed and space seed 15 inches apart. Will reseed itself very readily. Seed does not mature all at once.
Harvesting: Leaves, stem, flowers and seed are harvested when plant is in flower with seed beginning to form. Bee hives are needed for pollination if this crop is
grown for seed.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers used fresh or dried. Due to high water content, some recommend drying at a higher temperature than most herbs (40 C). Seeds are harvested for their oil content.
Used as: Infusion, tincture, juice, syrup, lotion, crystallized, elixir, lozenge, capsules.
Food uses: Use young leaves as a boiled pot herb, finely shredded in spring salads, fresh or candied flowers.
Medicinal Benefits: Borage oil used as an astringent and as a sequestering agent. The oil contains gamma-linolenic acid (17-25%) and linoleic acid. The tannins in Borage leaves have an astringent effect and the mucins a sequestering effect. In folk medicine, used for coughs and throat illnesses an as a bronchial treatment, and anti-inflammatory for kidney and bladder disorders, and as anstringent to treat rheumatism. Warning: like comfrey, borage leaves contain potentially liver-toxic and carcinogenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Risk may outweigh benefits for internal use.
Market Potential: Moderate. Prices range from $4.70 to $30.42 per lb dw for leaves. No wholesale or retail price found for seeds.
