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Borage, a Plant You Want in Your Diet
September 28, 2016
So why have Borage on your property? it is good in fresh salads. It attracts pollinators. It is also grown together with strawberries, tomatoes and squash to enhance their flavour. It is part of the cabbage family and tastes like cucumber. It's a perennial and reproduces prolifically. If you are worried that it will be a nuisance, don't be. Its simple root system makes it easy to pull up/manage. Apart from being very beautiful here are some reasons to include borage in your life:
The following is from WebMd.com:
- Borage is a plant. Its flowers and leaves, as well as the oil from its seeds are used as medicine.
- Borage seed oil is used for skin disorders including eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and neurodermatitis. It is also used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), stress, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), diabetes, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), alcoholism, pain and swelling (inflammation), and for preventing heart disease and stroke.
- Borage flower and leaves are used for fever, cough, and depression.
- Borage is also used for a hormone problem called adrenal insufficiency, for "bloodpurification," to increase urine flow, to prevent inflammation of the lungs, as a sedative, and to promote sweating. Borage is also used to increase breast milk production and to treat bronchitis and colds.
- Borage is applied to the skin for infantile seborrheic dermatitis and is also used in a dressing to soften the skin.
- In foods, borage is eaten in salads and soups.
- In manufacturing, borage is used in skin care products.
How does it work?
Borage seed oil contains a fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA seems to have anti-inflammatory effects. Borage flower might have an antioxidant effect.
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