Borage is a beautiful spontaneous plant used in cooking and also for respiratory problems and to purify the body. However, its use for therapeutic purposes is not recommended, which is why.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himLa borage (Borago officinalis) is a spontaneous plant belonging to the boraginaceae family. It seems that beautiful plant with blue flowers it was already widely used by the ancient Romans who consumed it for food and exploited it as a remedy for its diuretic and diaphoretic properties.
Thanks to the presence of mucilage, leaves and stems were used for calm cough, but also to purify the blood and skin and to increase sweating.
Today borage flowers, leaves and stems they cannot be used in herbal medicine and for the production of food supplements due to their toxicity.
The borage leaves, collected from wild plants, are however used to prepare stuffed ravioli and homemade tortelli or other culinary preparations. Just because of the toxicity of the plant, it would be better not to abuse it.
I borage seeds on the other hand they are safe and free of toxic effects. They are used to extract borage oil, with an anti-inflammatory and soothing action.
Because it shouldn't be eaten often
Borage stems, leaves and flowers contain pyrrolozidine alkaloids, molecules that have been shown to toxic to the liver, genotoxic and can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Because of thehepatotoxicityand genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of the plant, the health authorities do not allow the use of the aerial parts of the plant for therapeutic purposes.
Despite this, borage leaves are harvested from wild plants and traditionally used to prepare infusions and mother tinctures and for use in the kitchen.
Borage flowers are also used to decorate salads, to give a blue color to sauces and dressings and inserted into ice cubes.
Since it is a potentially dangerous plant, even when it is harvested in nature for culinary purposes, its use should be limited by avoiding consuming it in large quantities.
Borage oil
Unlike the leaves, stems and flowers of borage, the oil obtained from the seeds is safe and has no contraindications.
THEborage oil it is therefore on the market and is used both internally and externally.
For topical use, borage oil is used to soften the skin and to treat skin irritation and inflammation.
Its use is recommended, for example, in the case of dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema, but it is also useful for increasing skin elasticity, fighting dehydration and preventing wrinkles.
The anti-inflammatory properties of borage oil are also exploited for internal use, to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the gums and to soothe the redness and itching caused by dermatitis.
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Sources of reference: EMA / Ministry of Health
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