Use of Borage
Use of Borage
Scientific name: Borago officinalis L.
Family: Borraginaceae
Dialect name: vurrania, urrania
Annual herbaceous plant with fleshy stem and leaves entirely covered with slightly pungent bristly hairs, very rough to the touch, elongated oval, petiolate and entire wavy margin, of a glaucescent green color. The flowers are gathered in star-shaped, intense blue color schemes. The fruits are achenes.
It is a ubiquitous species; it is found from the coastal areas to the high mountains, both in uncultivated and cultivated land. Leaves must be collected before flowering; flowers just bloom, or bud. The leaves are only active when fresh, so one way to preserve them is freezing. The flowers can be used fresh or dried and drying must be rapid.
Active principles
The active ingredients are contained throughout the plant.
Property
Antidepressants, diuretic, blood purifiers. Many of the properties attributed to this plant in the past have now been confirmed by scientific knowledge about the effects of its components on the human body. The high content of calcium and potassium salts has tonic and sedative action on the nervous system as it has been thought of since ancient times.
Internal use
Antidepressant, diuretics, depurative.
– Antidepressant flower pot: a spoon of fresh flowers in 100 ml of water; let boil for five minutes.
– Infusion: a tablespoon of flowers in a cup of boiling water; leave to infuse for two minutes and filter.
-Diuretic decoction: boil 20 g of leaves in 100 ml of water, filter and consume 2-3 cups a day between meals.
-Depurative: boil 100 g of leaves in 500 ml of water, filter and consume the decoction obtained on the same day; repeat the operation for several days.
Warning! The leaves and stems contain traces of alkaloids that are toxic and therefore should not be used in pregnancy or in case of liver problems.
With borage seeds by cold pressing, an oil rich in essential fatty acids such as gamma linolenic acid and linoleic acid, which are very important against aging of the skin on the market, is obtained, is enclosed in pearls. Taken orally, borage oil improves skin hydration by preventing the formation of wrinkles, counteracts the formation of stretch marks, and strengthens the nails.
Borage can be confused with mandrake; bear in mind that borage blooms in the spring while mandrake blooms in autumn. In addition, the borage has spinosette leaves, the smooth mandrake.
Maria Canzoneri