Borage

Borage (Borago officinalis)


Borage has large fuzzy green leaves and pretty blue flowers. Bees love it! Right now borage is sprawling all over the 


place here in the southern rockies at 7500 ft. I did a little research to learn more about this awesome plant, and was 


just blown away.


It is high in vitamin c, vitamin a, antioxidants, also many other vitamins and minerals.


I add the tender new leaves and flowers to my salad every day. Have heard that you can also use them in recipes the same 


way you would use spinach.


This winter when things are slow I plant to do more extensive research on this plant. I really like to look into the 


plants that do well where I live.  

Comments

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    I will add it to my list of must grow herbs, thank you.

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    I love Borage! It taste like cucumber to me, very refreshing and the flowers are so pretty. I used to grow it but for some reason I had forgotten about it thanks for the reminder, definitely going in next year's list.

  • Jimerson
    Jimerson Posts: 291 admin

    Do you have any photos of them in the southern Rockies? I'd like to see them in their natural habitat! Thank you for sharing this info on Borage

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    Borage is also good for your heart...I do believe that it's supposed to make your heart stronger. A client of mine takes Borage for her heart.

    Borage is tasty. I have primarily used it as a herbal tea, the leaves and the flowers. I have also eaten them raw in salads and have steamed the leaves too.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited August 2019

    ...And bees LOVE it! It makes great, slow to crystallize honey.

  • gennywu
    gennywu Posts: 96 ✭✭✭

    I planted one Borage plant 3 years ago. It has reseeded itself many times over so I will never need to buy another plant. Thanks for giving us some ideas on how to use it.

  • anectarine1
    anectarine1 Posts: 27 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019

    Borage took over my garden here in the pacific NW. it reseeds it self and becomes a nuisance. I did love the way it drew in bees. I recommend planting in a pot o removing seeds before it can spread if you don’t want a ton.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    @anectarine1

    Isn't it funny as to which plants become a nuisance in a particular environment and not in others?

  • sarah121
    sarah121 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    I used to regularly prescribe this in my clinic, but unfortunately it has now been banned in the UK due to issues with the plant containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

    Borage has a long safety record when used responsibly, and so naturally there has been a huge uproar in the herbal community because it has been taken away from professional use (alongside comfrey, coltsfoot, kava....the list is endless.) After being in practice for many years and seeing the dwindling list of plants we can now legally prescribe, learning to tincture your own medicines is becoming increasingly urgent. I can't recommend it enough.

    On a less serious note if you want to take borage as a tea it is one of the very best herbs for supporting the function of the adrenal glands. The flowers also look very pretty when frozen in ice cubes and served with gin and tonic :) It grows readily by railway tracks and on waste ground - cheering up the environment with it's gorgeous purple blooms. Here's a photo of the plant I cultivated in my own garden.


  • sarah121
    sarah121 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    @anectarine1 I concur! Definitely grow borage in a pot if you don't want to annoy your neighbours! (However, it does have a tendency to escape!)

  • sarah121
    sarah121 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    @Obiora E The old saying is "Borage brings courage" you are so right, it is a lovely heart herb (energetically speaking.) It makes a lovely flower remedy.

  • DeeperEating
    DeeperEating Posts: 63 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for sharing that it reseeds itself well. I planted some this year (was tasty, beautiful, and popular with pollinators!)and as it finished it's lifecycle I just cut the dead plants down and composted them in place hoping it would come back next year! I grew it in a school garden a couple of years ago with kids and it didn't come back the following year so I wasn't sure how it would do.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @bejer19 I planted some at some point. Years later, it reappeared elsewhere. Make sure you look around!

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @sarah121 Thank you for the saying, and you are very right!

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @anectarine1 - Any plant Excellent for the Adrenals, & also good for the heart, that further pays for its keep by Feeding our best Pollinizers, & topping it off is additionally as beautiful as Borage truly is, certainly has earned the right to spread... where it may, you agree?

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    Borage flowers also candy up nicely for decorating cupcakes! And as mentioned above look darling in an ice cube😊

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I first discovered borage when I lived in the NW. They really like the cooler wx. When I moved back to OK, I realized a huge difference in their tolerance from cool to hot.

    I used to routinely freeze the blooms in ice cube trays, and saved them for the lighter colored drinks including plain water so their delicate beauty could show through.

    I have not yet tried dusting them in sugar but they are also placed atop beautiful cakes, the sugared blooms and makes very interesting conversation piece.

    I tried eating the cucumber tasting young leaves, but too many hairs for me to even choke one bite down. Anyone got any tips for a pleasant young leaf meal?

  • @silvertipgrizz, I just add the young Borage leaves to my salad every day. I really don't even notice them when I am eating my salad since my salads are such a mix of lettuces, greens, and wild greens that it is hard to focus on one thing. And they are delicious!! I usually add some avacado and home made dressing. I eat 2 meals a day, and this is one of them. Amazingly satisfying! Enjoy...