‘Bourrache’
Ref: BORA_BO_OFFI_001
Common Name: Borage / Bourrache / Μπουράντζα
Scientific Name: Borago officinalis
Plant’s cycle: Annual
Light Requirement: Full Sun, Semi Shade
Soil type: fertile, well-drained soils, can grow in nutritionally poor soil
Sowing in nursery: -
Direct Planting: April to Early Summer
Germination: 8 days after sowing
Flowers hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
Pollination: pollinated by Bees
Plant is Self-Fertile
Seed preservation: 5 years
Edible Parts: Leaves; Flowers; Oil.
Medicine:
Antirheumatic; Demulcent; Depurative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Emollient; Expectorant; Febrifuge; Hypotensive; Lenitive; Poultice; Sedative; Skin;
Other Uses: Dye; Oil; Repellent.
Known Hazards: The plant, but not the oil obtained from the seeds, contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can cause liver damage and liver cancer. These alkaloids are present in too small a quantity to be harmful unless you make borage a major part of your diet, though people with liver problems would be wise to avoid using the leaves or flowers of this plant.