What is Borage?

Borage is a bristly, blue-flowered garden herb, Borago officinalis. German speakers call it Borretsch. Its leaves, flowers and seeds have all been used in European folk practice.

Two very different products share the name. Borage seed oil is a supplement rich in a fat called GLA. Borage leaf and flower are used as food, tea or tincture.

That split matters for safety. Leaf and flower hold pyrrolizidine alkaloids, natural compounds that can harm the liver. Seed oil sold as a supplement is usually made and tested to be free of them.

The evidence verdict is modest. Human trials of borage oil are small and mixed, and the strongest ones are not encouraging. Long traditional use is not proof that borage works, and it is not proof that borage is safe.

How does Borage work?

If borage seed oil does anything, GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) is the likely reason. Your body turns GLA into signalling fats that help control inflammation, the body's swelling response.

In lab and animal studies, those fats appear to damp inflammation down. Small human trials have measured joint tenderness and skin dryness. The results are too patchy to call the effect proven.

Folk use of the leaf rested on something simpler. The leaf is full of mucilage, a slippery gel, and was thought to soothe a raw throat and chest. That idea has not been tested in modern trials.

The alkaloids in leaf and flower are a hazard, not a benefit. In animals, the liver turns them into reactive products that injure small blood vessels. Repeated exposure is the worry, not one sip.

What forms does Borage come in?

Most borage sold today is seed oil, in softgel capsules or as a bottled liquid. Labels usually state the GLA content as well as the oil weight.

Older forms are still around. Dried leaf is sold as tea. Fresh young leaves are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Europe.

Flowers decorate salads and summer drinks. Tincture, an alcohol extract of the leaf, turns up in herb shops. Cold-pressed borage oil also appears in skin creams and lotions.

The form drives the risk. Leaf and flower products can carry the liver-toxic alkaloids. Seed oil pressed from cleaned seed usually does not, if the maker tests for it.

If you buy seed oil, look for a clear PA-free claim on the pack. Borage oil also goes rancid easily. Keep it cool and watch the date.

Where it comes from:

Borage has a long record in European folk practice. Medieval herbalists tied it to courage and good cheer. An old Latin tag ran: I, borage, bring always courage.

Sixteenth-century writers such as John Gerard listed it for melancholy, fever and sore throat. Country use put the leaf into soups, salads and wine cordials.

German tradition knows it as Borretsch. Its cucumber-flavoured leaves are a classic part of Frankfurt green sauce. Seed oil is a modern product, born of twentieth-century interest in GLA.

These records show what people did, not what worked. Chemists later found the liver-toxic alkaloids that older users had no way to see.

What does Borage help with?

• Joint pain and stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis: This is the best-studied use of borage seed oil. A few small trials found less joint tenderness and swelling after several months of GLA. The trials were small and most were funded or short. Reviewers rate the evidence as weak and not enough to recommend borage as a treatment. It is not a replacement for arthritis medicines. Talk to your rheumatologist before adding it.
• Eczema (atopic dermatitis, an itchy skin rash): Here the evidence is fairly clear, and it is negative. Borage oil was once a popular eczema supplement. A Cochrane review pooled trials of oral borage and evening primrose oil. It found no meaningful benefit for eczema symptoms over placebo. Some small studies of oil applied to the skin report mild softening. That is a moisturiser effect, not a cure for the condition.
• Premenstrual symptoms and breast tenderness: GLA oils have long been promoted for cyclical breast pain. Most of that research used evening primrose oil rather than borage. The better trials show little or no benefit over placebo. Evidence for borage itself is very thin. If breast pain is new, one-sided or comes with a lump, get it checked rather than self-treating.
• Dry, rough or ageing skin: Borage oil is a common ingredient in skin creams. Applied to skin, it acts as an emollient and softens the surface. A few small studies suggest oral GLA may reduce water loss through the skin. The effect is modest and not consistently found. Any plain moisturiser does much the same job for less money.
• Coughs and sore throat (traditional use only): Folk healers gave borage leaf tea for chesty coughs and raw throats. The slippery mucilage was thought to coat and soothe. There are no modern human trials supporting this. Leaf tea is also the form that carries the liver-toxic alkaloids. For a sore throat, safer soothing options exist. Ask a pharmacist.
• Low mood and 'melancholy' (traditional use only): Old European texts called borage a cheering herb. It was added to wine to lift the spirits. No human trial supports borage for low mood or anxiety. The claim is cultural, not medical. If your mood has been low for weeks, speak to a doctor.

Which foods are rich in Borage?

1. Fresh borage leaves (used as a pot herb)
2. Borage flowers (used as a garnish)
3. Borage seed oil

Practical Tips:

Borage leaf is a real food in parts of Europe. It tastes of cucumber and appears in Frankfurt green sauce and in Ligurian ravioli fillings.

Food use is usually small and occasional. Even so, the leaf carries pyrrolizidine alkaloids, so regular large helpings are not wise.

Pregnant women, children and anyone with liver disease should skip the leaf and flower as food too.

What are the side effects of Borage?

• Soft stools or mild diarrhoea
• Gas and bloating
• Nausea
• Oily or fishy burping
• Headache
• Easier bruising or slower clotting at higher doses
• Skin rash or itch in people allergic to the plant
• Liver injury from leaf, flower or tea products

Good to know:

Most reported effects from the seed oil are mild and gut-related. They often settle if you take it with food.

The serious risk sits with the leaf and flower, not the tested oil. Liver damage from pyrrolizidine alkaloids is slow and silent at first.

Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), dark urine or a swollen, painful belly are warning signs. Stop and seek medical help if they appear.

How much Borage should you take?

• Recommended daily: This is what labels carry, not advice for you. Borage seed oil capsules are commonly sold at 500 mg to 1,000 mg of oil. That supplies roughly 100 mg to 240 mg of GLA per capsule. Study doses have ranged much higher, under medical supervision. No amount is given here for borage leaf, flower or tea. Those parts can carry pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which damage the liver, and there is no agreed safe intake. If you take anything, choose a product labelled free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
• Best time of day: Time of day makes little difference. GLA builds up slowly in your tissues over weeks. Many people split the oil across the day to reduce burping and stomach upset.
• With or without food: Take borage oil with food. It is a fat, and a meal helps your body absorb it. Food also cuts down on nausea and oily burps, the most common complaints.
• Time to effect: Expect weeks, not days, if anything happens at all. Trials that reported joint or skin changes took six weeks or longer. Be honest with yourself about the odds. For eczema, good trials found no benefit, so it may do nothing. If nothing has changed after about three months, it is reasonable to stop.
• How long to take it: Trials of borage seed oil usually ran six weeks to six months. Some arthritis studies ran up to a year with monitoring. Long unsupervised use is not a good idea. Alkaloid harm builds up over time, so even trace amounts matter across months. No duration can be given for leaf or tea products. The risk is cumulative and the alkaloid content is unknown.