BORAGE (Always check with a certified herbalist before using herbal teas, tinctures and oils, etc.) Leaves and flowers contain a small amount of hepatotoxic compounds and may be damaging to the liver in continuous use or large doses. Borage is also known as the blue star flower. From personal experience I know that the leaves can be eaten in a salad or as a garnish and tastes a great deal like cucumber without the seeds or gassy effects. Dried leaves are also great in a tea for hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats caused by menopause. In the past it was often used for a poultice for external swelling. The blue flowers have a sweet honey like flavor and can be used fresh in salads, heated in butter or margarine and poured over pancakes or dried and used in teas to add sweetness. Or as a topping for desserts. It may also be preserved, made into a syrup or candied. The leaves may also be included in soups and stews, can be used instead of spinach in ravioli and pasta, or in pickling. Also quite good as a green that can be boiled, drained and then sautéed with olive oil and garlic. It can be steeped in wine with lemon and sugar or also in water, making a refreshing drink. It was often placed in wine and cider and made into cordials. The tea is often used for gastro intestinal upset (stomach cramps, colic in infants, and diarrhea), respiratory (asthma and bronchitis) and cardiovascular disorders as it is a cardio tonic, anti-hypertensive and a blood purifier. Other uses are as a diuretic and for kidney and bladder disorders. It should always be used in moderation as it promotes getting more oxygen to the heart and can be harmful if overused. One cup of borage tea in the morning is usually sufficient for medicinal purposes. If you use the leaves and flowers together there may not even be a need for any honey. It was often used by physicians to help hypochondriacs by making them feel better and can also be used to aide depression and chronic fatigue. It is also used to regulate metabolism and the hormonal system. Flowers may be prepared in an infusion. In gardens it makes a good companion plant with legumes, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes. Borage tea is also used in teas to aide in divination. A leaf may be worn to impart courage. Borage grows well in ordinary soil. It may be propagated by division of roots in spring and by putting cuttings of shoots in sandy soil in a cold frame in summer and autumn, or from seeds sown in fairly good, light soil, from the middle of March to May, 18 inches apart, the seedlings being thinned out to about 15 inches apart in the rows. If left alone, Borage will seed itself freely and comes up year after year in the same place. Seeds may also be sown in the autumn. Those sown then will flower in May, whereas those sown in the spring will not flower till June. (Depending on climate.) If to be dried and burned be aware that it will pop and emit sparks. ~Waya~
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 20:00:01 +0000
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