Borage

Appearance

Traditionally borage was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses, although today commercial cultivation is mainly as an oilseed. The seed oil is desired as source of gamma-linolenic acid, for which borage is the highest known plant-based source. The seed oil content is between 26-38% and in addition to GLA contains the fatty acids palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, eicosenoic acid, erucic acid, and nervonic acid. The oil is often marketed as "starflower oil" or "borage oil" for uses as a GLA supplement, although healthy adults will typically produce ample GLA through dietary linoleic acid.

Uses

Traditionally borage was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses, although today commercial cultivation is mainly as an oilseed. The seed oil is desired as source of gamma-linolenic acid, for which borage is the highest known plant-based source. The seed oil content is between 26-38% and in addition to GLA contains the fatty acids palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, eicosenoic acid, erucic acid, and nervonic acid. The oil is often marketed as "starflower oil" or "borage oil" for uses as a GLA supplement, although healthy adults will typically produce ample GLA through dietary linoleic acid.

Borage production does include use as either a fresh vegetable or a dried herb. As a fresh vegetable, borage, with a cucumber like taste, is often used in salads or as a garnish. The flower, which contains the non-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid thesinine, has a sweet honey-like taste and as one of the few truly blue-colored edible substances, is often used to decorate dessert. It is notable that the leaves have been found to contain small amounts of the liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids: intermedine, lycopsamine, amabiline and supinine. The levels are extremely low. Leaves contain mainly the toxic lycopsamine also amabiline and the non-toxic saturated PA thesinine. No alkaloids have been found so far in seed oil.

Vegetable use of borage is common in Germany, in the Spanish regions of Aragón and Navarra, in the Greek island of Crete and in the Italian northern region Liguria. Although often used in soups, one of the better known German borage recipes is the Green Sauce made in Frankfurt. In Italian Liguria, borage is commonly used as filling of the traditional pasta ravioli and pansoti. The leaves and flowers were originally used in Pimms before it was replaced by mint or cucumber peel. It is used to flavour pickled gherkins in Poland.

Borage is also traditionally used as a garnish in the Pimms Cup cocktail, but is sometimes replaced by a long sliver of cucumber peel if not available. It is also one of the key "Botanical" flavourings in Gilpin's Westmorland Extra Dry Gin. Borage leaves have a cucumber like flavor.

In Iran people sometimes put it in their tea.