Crops Borage (Borago officinalis)

Borage is native to some Mediterranean countries, and was probably introduced to Northern Europe by the Romans; it has become familiar as a 'cottage garden' plant with a wide range of nutritional and herbal uses. The leaves may be used as spinach, in pickles and salads, and in claret cup and iced drinks, the flowers as an edible decoration for salads; the crushed foliage is a source of saline mucilage, used medicinally for the treatment of catarrh, rheumatism and some skin diseases. The related plant comfrey (Symphytum officinale) has a similarly wide range of domestic uses. Borage has come to prominence since the 1980s because the seed oil is a relatively rich source of gamma-linolenic acid, used in 'health foods' and nutritional supplements. The area grown commercially has been expanding; for instance, more than 700 ha are now grown annually in the United Kingdom for oil production. Borage may be considered as an established minor crop: work on breeding and agronomy continues, together with further investigations into potential pharmaceutical uses for the seed oil.

This entry forms part of the publication Crops for Industry and Energy in Europe

References:

Anon (1996a) Developments in Oilseeds: NIAB Sparsholt Conference. Proceedings of a meeting on 8th February 1996 at Sparsholt College, Winchester, Hampshire. Cambridge: NIAB.

Bremness, L (1988) The Complete Book of Herbs. London: Dorling Kindersley & National Trust.

Carruthers, S P Miller, F A & Vaughan, C M A (Eds) (1994) Crops for Industry and Energy. Report No 15. Reading: Centre for Agricultural Strategy

Chisholm, C J (Ed) (1994) Towards a UK Research Strategy For Alternative Crops. Silsoe: Silsoe Research Institute.

Paredes-Lopez, O (1994) Amaranth: Biology, Chemistry and Technology. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Perry, F (1972) Flowers of the World. London: Hamlyn Press.

Annals of Applied Biology. Wellesbourne: The Association of Applied Biologists.