Tag Archives: homebrewing

Plants with Benefits: 

 

I, Borage

Borago officinalis

 

Bright blue borage flowers are a familiar sight in my garden.  Once you plant it, it self-seeds readily, so get ready to have lots.   It’s very well adapted to Mediterranean climates (since it’s native place is Syria and parts of the Middle East) but it has naturalized throughout Europe, and is doing a pretty good job of taking over San Francisco.

The word is said to come from the Latin burra – meaning wooly – a good descriptor for the irritating fuzzy burr that coats this plant.  Check out the close up of the flower heads.

So the Romans had a good time with language, and the word for courage (sort of ) rhymes with borage both in English and in Latin.  Here’s a little first century haiku:

 

Ego borrago

Gaudia semper ago

 

(I, Borage, Always bring courage)

There might be a bit of truth to that. According to the English Herbalist John Gerard in his 1597 Herball: “There be also many things made of these used everywhere for the comfort of the heart, for the driving away of sorrow and increasing the joy of the minde. The leaves and floures of Borage put into wine make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadnesse, dulnesse and melancholy, as Dios corides and Pliny affirme. Syrup made of the floures of Borage comforteth the heart, purgeth melancholy and quieteth the phrenticke and lunaticke person.”

 

Hmm, phrenticke people everywhere and not enough borage.  I took a page from Gerard’s book and brewed up some borage ale. 

So here’s the breakdown:

The Plant:  Borage (Borago officinalis)

The benefits:  Great bee forage, insect attractor, purgeth melancholy, tastes like cucumbers, looks terrific on a sweet potato or golden beet salad, and can be used to brew beer (I’ll let you know how it turns out).  The seeds contain gamma linolenic acid – the prized ingredient, among others, of borage oil. Borage oil may help to balance the hormonal system. It also is purpored to have anti inflammatory properties, plus it increases episodes of courage, where needed.