Borage (borage). borage

borage - an annual plant, also called: borage, borage, borage, heart flower, gimlet, belongs to the borage family. The herb is an excellent honey plant, used in cooking, as well as in alternative medicine as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic. In its wild form, borage is found in South America, North Africa, southern Europe, Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus.

What is borage?

Borage is very unpretentious, and therefore grows almost everywhere - in vegetable gardens, on roadsides, in landfills and vacant lots. True, it has an excellent taste only if it is specially looked after - watered during drought, fed with fertilizers, loosened the soil around it.

If borage is grown culturally, the seeds are sown in April in rows to a depth of 2-3 cm. The distance between seeds in a row is 8-10cm, and between rows 20-25cm. The emergence of seedlings should be expected on the 7th - 9th day. The seedlings are thinned out, and during the summer the weeds are pulled out and the soil is loosened.

The collected grass is used immediately. To ensure that fresh and young borage is on your table all summer, you need to constantly sow the seeds with a conveyor belt at intervals of 10-15 days.

Without care, the plant quickly runs wild and grows.

Being an annual plant up to half a meter high, with a straight, branched, succulent and hollow stem inside. The flowers are relatively large, azure-violet in color. Borago is prone to self-propagation: in July-August, seeds appear that quickly fall off, and on next year give new shoots.

Borage reaches a height of 50-80 cm, has hollow, thick stems, branched at the top. The lower and basal leaves are petiolate, large, oval in shape, the stem leaves are much smaller in size, oblong, sessile, covered, like the stem, with whitish hairs.

The flowering period of cucumber occurs in June-August, the plant bears fruit in July-September. Blue or violet-blue borage flowers, hanging on long stalks, are collected in paniculate inflorescences; each flower can contain up to 5-12 mg of nectar. The fruit of the plant is a tuberous dark brown nut.

IN medicinal purposes in alternative medicine, the aerial part of borage is mainly used - fresh or dried leaves, flowers and seeds. The composition of the leaves of the plant is presented:

• Ascorbic acid;
• Carotene;
• Salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium;
• Mucous substances;
• Saponins;
• Organic acids – citric, malic;
• Flavonoids;
• Tannins.

Mucilage substances and essential oil were found in borage flowers, and fatty oils were found in the seeds of the plant.

Beneficial features

In European countries, young borage leaves, which taste and smell like fresh cucumbers, are eaten, added to salads, sauces, vegetable soups, okroshka, meat and fish dishes.

Mature leaves can be stewed, used in marinades and pickles, the flowers of the plant are used in industry for making confectionery and cognacs.

Since ancient times it has also been known medicinal properties borage - even in the army of ancient Rome, soldiers on a campaign included the plant in their diet to increase fortitude and courage; it was also used, if necessary, as a diaphoretic and diuretic. Medieval healers called borage a cheerful herb that relieves boredom and melancholy.

Currently, herbalists and traditional healers prescribe the use of borage as an anti-inflammatory, mild laxative, expectorant and enveloping agent at feverish conditions, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, colds, constipation, dry cough.

The diuretic effect of borage is used to treat edema, kidney damage, urinary tract and bladder, taking infusions of the leaves and flowers of the plant. Lotions and compresses of borage leaves have an antirheumatic and analgesic effect in the fight against joint and muscle pain, and gout.

Borage seeds, boiled in grape wine, in alternative medicine it is recommended to enhance lactation. The calming properties of borage herb are used in homeopathy in the treatment of neurasthenia, sleep disorders, depressive states, asthenia, cardiac neuroses.

Decoctions of the leaves of the plant are prescribed for external and internal use at skin rashes, eczema and other skin lesions, borage seed oil is also used for these purposes. Because borage is rich mineral salts and helps improve metabolism, it is often included in various diets.

According to recipes alternative medicine The use of borage is recommended against the background of:

• Rheumatism;
• Joint pain;
• Gout;
• Colitis;
• Gastritis;
• Constipation;
• Inflammatory processes in bladder and kidneys;
• Edema;
• Fever;
• Colds;
• Neurasthenia;
• Insomnia;
• Neuroses of the heart;
• Asthenia;
• Skin lesions.

Contraindications

It is not recommended to use borage for a long time (more than one month) due to possible violations liver activity. It is advisable to use the plant as part of various medicinal fees and before using it, consult a specialist.

Homemade borage herb remedies

For cooking fresh juice borage, used for nervous exhaustion, insomnia, heart neuroses, urolithiasis, feverish conditions, it is necessary to wash the fresh lower leaves of the plant running water, pour boiling water over it, and then grind through a meat grinder.

The juice obtained after squeezing the raw material through a cloth is diluted in a 1:1 ratio with water and boiled over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Take the product 3-4 times a day after meals, 2 tbsp. spoons, it can also be used for external treatment of problem areas of the skin.

To prepare an infusion of borage, pour a glass of boiling water over 2 tbsp. spoons of leaves or 1 tbsp. a spoonful of plant flowers. After infusing the mixture for an hour, after filtering, take 1 tbsp three times a day. spoon for pain in muscles and joints, gout, rheumatism, while simultaneously applying compresses from borage leaves.

To treat hyposecretory gastritis and kidney inflammation, and normalize cardiac activity, it is recommended to consume 100 ml of plant infusion 3-4 times a day, for the preparation of which a tablespoon of flowers is poured into a glass of boiling water and infused for 6 hours.

To obtain a herbal decoction, pour 20 g of dry leaves into a glass of water, boil for 10 minutes and filter after cooling. For colitis, nervous disorders, joint pain, for colds, a tablespoon is prescribed three times a day before meals, and skin rashes can also be washed with a decoction.

Borage does not require much effort to survive. It adapts well to any conditions. IN in kind it can be found on roadsides, vacant lots and even in vegetable gardens. But excellent taste qualities And nutritional composition Only cultivated specimens that receive moisture and nutrition in a timely manner have it.

At home, annuals need to be controlled. Otherwise, it will spread over the entire area, displacing other crops. Let's look at the details of planting borage, ways to always have fresh borage and the intricacies of its cultivation.

Landing

Sowing of borage is planned in the first ten days of April. The main thing is that the soil warms up well, otherwise the seeds may not sprout. Make rows in the soil 3 cm deep and place grains in them at intervals of 10 cm.

The row spacing is about 25 cm. In consistently warm weather, the first shoots will appear within a week. When the crops in the rows begin to thicken, they need to be thinned out and, of course, cleared of weeds.

Important! If you plan to use young borage foliage, the distance in the rows between the bushes should not exceed 25 cm. If you are interested in seeds and flowers, when thinning, leave the stems every 75 cm.

The peculiarity of borage is that it is used only in fresh, and they do not allow the collected raw materials to sit for a long time.

It will be beneficial if you eat freshly picked leaves and stems. Therefore, many gardeners share their experience of conveyor sowing of seeds every 15 days. Thus, borage will be in your diet throughout the summer season.

Care

To develop, borage does not need to create additional conditions. During prolonged heat, it is necessary to water it and at least occasionally loosen the soil between the rows. At the beginning of the growing season, the grass will gratefully accept nitrogen-containing fertilizer from a solution of chicken manure infusion.

As the bushes grow, the crops must be thinned out and the seeds collected in time. Otherwise, a thicket of shaggy borage will form on the site.

Important! Borage sown in a potato bed inhibits the activity of Colorado potato beetles. In cases of such proximity, up to 95 percent of root crops are preserved.

Collection of leaves and seeds

For medicinal and culinary purposes, only young leaves with tender, fleshy pulp are used. Old specimens are no longer suitable for this, since every day their surface becomes hard and bristly. Therefore, it is advisable to collect foliage in the first 2-3 weeks of the plant’s life.

The period for collecting flowers and grains is more extended. Borage blooms in early July and blooms until autumn. This is exactly how long the continuous ripening of a seed lasts, and ripe samples do not stay long in the seed pod and spill out into the ground.

This results in self-seeding, which will ensure the growth of the crop next year, but at the same time, if it gets out of control, it will turn the planting into thorny weeds up to 1 meter high.

Based on these characteristics of borage, the procurement of seed raw materials should be done carefully and in a timely manner throughout July, August and September.

To do this, gardeners use paper caps into which ripe grains are shaken daily. And to avoid the seeds from accidentally falling into the ground, the tree trunk holes are covered with cellophane. Flowers are picked off as soon as they are fully opened.

Did you know? Ancient Roman warriors added borage to wine. This drink helped them get rid of the fear of battle, gain courage and courage. Soon such a drink was served at all feasts so that the guests would not feel sad or sad.

Borage has found its way into the kitchen thanks to its aroma reminiscent of fresh cucumbers and the subtle taste of the mixture. young feather onion and cucumber pulp.

For culinary preparations, use fresh leaves that are no more than a week old. The pulp, cleared of fluffy skin, is added to various salads, drinks, soups, sauces, side dishes, borscht, okroshka.

Meat and fish dishes are sometimes seasoned with borage roots to add piquancy. Also, the roots of the plant are an excellent raw material for the production of green oil. It is added to cheese, sour-milk products and cold drinks.

Surprisingly, hyssop, chervil, sow thistle, quinoa, oregano, and nasturtium are used in cooking.

Many people use borage as greens. For example, chopped leaves are generously sprinkled on boiled potatoes, which are seasoned with sour cream or other sauce.

Blue inflorescences in cooking play the role of not only a beautiful decoration for dishes, but also a useful ingredient. They are used fresh, dried and candied.

Housewives often use flowers for homemade wines, liqueurs and liqueurs. They make very aromatic tea.

Important! Borage salads are rich in vitamins, so they are recommended to prevent inflammation in the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, as well as to improve the functioning circulatory system, liver, gall bladder.

Recipes for use in folk medicine and cosmetology

In cosmetology, the annual plant also played an important role. Many beauties prefer cosmetics based on borage oil, which have rejuvenating and tonic properties. Its advantages also include a beneficial effect on dry, dehydrated, aging and sensitive skin.

The drug is suitable for everyone; once it enters the epidermis, it promotes cell regeneration, smoothes out fine wrinkles, and gives the skin healthy looking. This component is simply necessary for recovery after aggressive cosmetic procedures by type of dermabrasion, chemical peelings.

Borage oil is used in cosmetology to treat hair, nails, dermatitis, and dandruff. The product can be found in any pharmacy, it is recommended both pure form, and in mixtures with other essential oils. By the way, Omega-3, Omega-6 and phytohormones were found in borage oil.

For example, to normalize work sebaceous glands head and face prepare a mask of 1 teaspoon borage oil, 4 drops of oil tea tree, 5 drops lemon juice. All ingredients are mixed well and applied to the face or hair roots. After an hour, everything should be washed off with warm water.

Important! After opening the original packaging, borage oil oxidizes and quickly deteriorates. It should be stored for no more than 60 days in the refrigerator. You can extend the shelf life of the drug by adding wheat germ oil to the bottle.

Mixture 1 will save dehydrated facial skin egg yolk, 1 teaspoon borage oil and 3 drops orange oil. The mask is applied for half an hour, after which it is washed off with water.

To treat hair damaged by perms and coloring, you simply need a mask made from equal parts of borage and sea buckthorn oil.

Both components are mixed and heated in a water bath. Then warm remedy Apply to the scalp and wrap in cellophane. Wrap the top with a terry towel. After 2 hours, wash off with regular shampoo.

Useful tips for girls: find out how to use for cosmetic purposes evening primrose, nettle, periwinkle, savory, marjoram, rosemary, calendula, parsnip, lettuce.

Borage is an annual plant that also has the following names: borage, borage, borage, heart flower, gimlet, and belongs to the borage family. The herb is an excellent honey plant, used in cooking, as well as in alternative medicine as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic. In its wild form, borage is found in South America, North Africa, southern Europe, Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasus.

Chemical composition

Borage reaches a height of 50-80 cm, has hollow, thick stems, branched at the top. The lower and basal leaves are petiolate, large, oval in shape, the stem leaves are much smaller in size, oblong, sessile, covered, like the stem, with whitish hairs. The flowering period of cucumber occurs in June-August, the plant bears fruit in July-September. Blue or violet-blue borage flowers, hanging on long stalks, are collected in paniculate inflorescences; each flower can contain up to 5-12 mg of nectar. The fruit of the plant is a tuberous dark brown nut.

For medicinal purposes in alternative medicine, the aerial part of borage is mainly used - fresh or dried leaves, flowers and seeds. The composition of the leaves of the plant is presented:

• Ascorbic acid;
• Carotene;
• Salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium;
• Mucous substances;
• Saponins;
• Organic acids – citric, malic;
• Flavonoids;
• Tannins.

Mucilage substances and essential oil were found in borage flowers, and fatty oils were found in the seeds of the plant.

Beneficial features

In European countries, young borage leaves, which taste and smell like fresh cucumbers, are eaten, added to salads, sauces, vegetable soups, okroshka, meat and fish dishes. Mature leaves can be stewed, used in marinades and pickles, the flowers of the plant are used in industry for the production of confectionery and cognac.

The medicinal properties of borage have also been known since ancient times - even in the army of ancient Rome, soldiers on campaign included the plant in their diet to increase fortitude and courage, and it was also used, if necessary, as a diaphoretic and diuretic. Medieval healers called borage a cheerful herb that relieves boredom and melancholy.

Currently, herbalists and traditional healers prescribe the use of borage as an anti-inflammatory, mild laxative, expectorant and enveloping agent for feverish conditions, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, colds, constipation, and dry cough.

The diuretic effect of borage is used to treat edema, damage to the kidneys, urinary tract and bladder, taking infusions of the leaves and flowers of the plant. Lotions and compresses of borage leaves have an antirheumatic and analgesic effect in the fight against joint and muscle pain, and gout.

Borage seeds boiled in grape wine are recommended in alternative medicine to enhance lactation. The calming properties of borage herb are used in homeopathy in the treatment of neurasthenia, sleep disorders, depressive states, asthenia, and heart neuroses.

Decoctions of the leaves of the plant are prescribed for external and internal use for skin rashes, eczema and other skin lesions; borage seed oil is also used for these purposes. Since borage is rich in mineral salts and helps improve metabolism, it is often included in various diets.

Indications for use

According to alternative medicine recipes, the use of borage is recommended against the background of:

• Rheumatism;
• Joint pain;
• Gout;
• Colitis;
• Gastritis;
• Constipation;
• Inflammatory processes in the bladder and kidneys;
• Edema;
• Fever;
• Colds;
• Neurasthenia;
• Insomnia;
• Neuroses of the heart;
• Asthenia;
• Skin lesions.

Contraindications

It is not recommended to use borage for a long time (more than one month) due to possible liver problems. It is advisable to use the plant as part of various medicinal preparations and consult a specialist before using it.

Homemade borage herb remedies

To prepare fresh borage juice, used for nervous exhaustion, insomnia, heart neuroses, urolithiasis, febrile conditions, you need to rinse the fresh lower leaves of the plant with running water, pour over boiling water, and then grind through a meat grinder. The juice obtained after squeezing the raw material through a cloth is diluted in a 1:1 ratio with water and boiled over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Take the product 3-4 times a day after meals, 2 tbsp. spoons, it can also be used for external treatment of problem areas of the skin.

To prepare an infusion of borage, pour a glass of boiling water over 2 tbsp. spoons of leaves or 1 tbsp. a spoonful of plant flowers. After infusing the mixture for an hour, after filtering, take 1 tbsp three times a day. spoon for pain in muscles and joints, gout, rheumatism, while simultaneously applying compresses from borage leaves.

To treat hyposecretory gastritis and kidney inflammation, and normalize cardiac activity, it is recommended to consume 100 ml of plant infusion 3-4 times a day, for the preparation of which a tablespoon of flowers is poured into a glass of boiling water and infused for 6 hours.

To obtain a herbal decoction, pour 20 g of dry leaves into a glass of water, boil for 10 minutes and filter after cooling. For colitis, nervous disorders, joint pain, colds, a tablespoon is prescribed three times a day before meals, and skin rashes can also be washed with a decoction.

In this article we will talk about what borage or borage is, how it is eaten, who it is useful for, and how to grow it correctly in your garden.

Borage or Borage adds flavor to various dishes when the cucumber seedlings are just planted in the greenhouse.

This spicy plant crop has become popular with the advent of healthy eating fashion.

The smell of the herb is similar to the aroma of cucumber, which is why it got its name.

The plant culture is actively growing and seedlings can be seen after just one and a half to two weeks, and after 30 days you can already crumble the vitamin-enriched greens into okroshka, snack bars and salad dishes.

Borage - to brief description

Borago (Borago officinalis) is an annual plant that is part of the borage family.

Grass sprang up in the area Mediterranean Sea.

The plant culture looks very decorative, which is also why it is planted in the countryside.

The borage has spectacular silver-green foliage with moss:

• rough;
• fleshy;
• large.

The stem part is erect, stretches up to 600 mm and even up to a meter.

The shoots are spreading on the side.

Root system with many branches.

The greenery has soft bluish flowers with a pinkish tint, pubescent along the edges with long whitish bristles.

During the flowering period, the mini-bush is completely shrouded in flowers.

It blooms in early summer and provides color until September.

Why is borage needed?

This green is a storehouse of ascorbic acid.

There is 3 times more vitamin C in the grass than in cucumber fruits! The foliage of this plant crop is rich in:

1. Mineral salts.
2. Vitamins.
3. Valuable organic acids.
4. Tannins.
5. Useful mucus.

For medicinal needs, the plant crop is harvested during the flowering period: the stems are dried separately, the flowers separately.

The collected raw materials are dried in a shady place, naturally, with good ventilation. The medicine is used to strengthen the central nervous system; decoctions and infusions of cucumber herb eliminate stress within the body and relieve irritability.

The product also gently relaxes and eliminates inflammatory processes. To make an infusion medicinal plant, you need to use dry foliage.

According to the traditional ancient recipe, the medicine is made as follows:

1. A spoonful of dried herbs or a small spoonful of dried flowers should be brewed with 200 ml of boiling water.
2. Infuse the composition in a closed container wrapped in a blanket for 5 hours (today you can use a thermal mug).
3. Filter, add granulated sugar to taste, and drink 2 tablespoons for 5 days in a row.

The medicine will help relieve swelling, eliminate inflammatory process in a paired organ and will alleviate the human condition with rheumatism.

The medicine is a diuretic and diaphoretic, it starts the functioning of the adrenal glands.

The drug also restores metabolic processes in the body, helps with gout, skin pathologies and rheumatism of the joints.

Use in cooking

Young borage has the aroma of fresh cucumber and a slightly salty taste.

It goes great with almost any green salad dish:

• traditional with tomatoes and peppers;
• okroshka;
• the vinaigrette.

However, before using young greens for food, you should crush the foliage with a rolling pin in a wooden mortar or chop it into very fine strips, since the thorns must be removed.

The foliage of borage does not tolerate heat treatment.

It is used exclusively in cold dishes.

The plant's flowers are also used for food; they are delicate and have a soft blue hue.

Homemade aromatic liqueurs are prepared using flowers.

Even a beginner can grow borage

In the autumn, when digging up the territory of the dacha, it is necessary to add superphosphate (approximately 25 grams per 1 sq.m.) and potassium salt (15 grams per 1 sq.m.) to the soil.

In spring, the soil is fed with nitrogenous compounds ( perfect solution- ammonium nitrate) at the rate of 15 g. per 1 sq.m.

Sow borage in early spring, in March, placing the seeds to a depth of approximately 20 mm.

If young grass needs to be grown earlier, you can cover the plantings with film.

Sow borage in rows (the optimal number of seeds is 3-6 grams per square) with an interval of approximately 400 mm. Shoots can be seen in a week or two.

To collect fresh nutritious grass before frost, borage is sown again at the end of summer.

Many summer residents sow this plant crop “before winter.”

Sowing in 2-3 stages is justified, since borage grows very quickly:

• stretches out;
• foliage becomes rough;
• taste qualities are lost.

The plant is suitable as a herb for growing at home.

When grown on a windowsill, borage produces fresh greenery all year round: to do this, you need to wait two weeks between planting seeds.

To obtain the product as quickly as possible, the bed should be made in the sun, and for consumption in summer period- in the shadow.

Sowing before winter tolerates cold well, as the plant is frost-resistant. IN spring days Borago will delight you with abundant shoots.

Watering and feeding

Caring for borage is quite simple. This:

1. Timely and not too abundant watering.
2. Loosening the soil.
3. Thinning beds.

Those specimens that are grown for greenery must be thinned out, leaving a distance of 100 mm between the mini-bushes. If the crop goes to seed, you need to leave a distance of 35-60 mm. Watering cannot be ignored, otherwise the foliage will lose its fleshiness and juiciness.

It should be fed with organic compounds before color begins.

You can use mullein infusion. Borage grass is strong and strong, almost does not get sick.

Among the insects you need to be wary of are burdock caterpillars and oxalum lancet.

However, these pests attack seedlings quite infrequently.

Borago harvest

The first leaves can be collected 28 days after germination of the seedlings.

Specimens with cotyledons and two true leaves (50-70 mm) are harvested completely, like spinach, they are the most.

Borage (borage)(other names: borage, medicinal borage, medicinal borage) belongs to the borage family. Its name is borage; the leaves are entire, widely elongated, the lower ones are ovate, narrowed to the petioles, the upper ones are more oblong, smaller, sessile; flowers - blue, five-petaled, drooping, sitting on a long peduncle, collected in a dense brush at the top of the stem, rich in nectar; seeds - oblong, dark. The entire plant is bristly and hairy.

Blooms from late June to August.

Habitat

Borage grows everywhere, often self-seeding in gardens like a weed. Homeland of borage - Asia Minor, Mediterranean coast. The ancient Romans endowed it with the properties of raising spirits, increasing courage, and used it “to make the heart feel lighter.”

In France, borage was called “the joy of the heart”, “cheerfulness”, “heart flower” and was widely used to flavor wines, vinegar, flowers were placed in glasses of wine and soft drinks.

Unfortunately, in our country, borage is one of the rare green crops, although many amateur gardeners often sow its seeds. The yield of green mass can reach 50-60 centners per 1 ha and 20 kg/ha of honey (borage is a good honey plant).

In Udmurtia, Perm and Yekaterinburg regions, borage grass is sown on personal plots; ripe seeds fall off easily, giving a large harvest the next year.

In cultivation, borage is called “borage” and is valued as a cold-resistant plant that grows well in various soils and even in the shade. The seeds are sown before winter or early spring; young tender leaves grow within a month after the first shoots; they can be collected in several stages. We must remember that in dry, hot weather the plant quickly forms a flower stem, and the leaves become rough and tasteless.

Uses and beneficial properties of borage

What makes this plant stand out, besides its cucumber taste and smell? It contains vitamin C, carotene, apple and citric acid, essential oils, there is a lot of sugar in flowers. In addition, furocoumarins, saponins, tannins and mucous substances were found.

Both fresh and dried borage has medicinal properties.
It is used as a mild laxative for articular rheumatism and some skin diseases, with neuroses of the heart and catarrh of the lungs. Infusions from the leaves are drunk for neurasthenia as a sedative, and infusions from the flowers are used as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Vitamin salads preventively promote metabolism, prevent inflammation in the kidneys and intestines, and relieve irritability.

In Bulgaria, it is recommended to use the infusion for edema, kidney inflammation, rheumatic pain according to the following recipe: pour 2 tablespoons of borage with a glass of boiling water, leave for 5 hours and drink 1 tablespoon 5...6 times a day.

Wild borage is harvested before flowering. Young leaves and shoots are found wide application in salads, okroshkas, soups, and also used as a side dish for meat, fish and cereal dishes, for fillings in pies, flavoring vinegar, punches, wine, tea leaves.

Contraindications

Can lead to liver dysfunction long-term use this plant. Therefore, experts advise not to take borage for more than one month. It is also advisable to take borage not as an independent medicine, but include it in various medicinal preparations.

Borage borage borage pharmaceutical heart flower borage borage planting beneficial features photo description reproduction, care, medicinal use, spice

Synonyms: Borage, Borage, Borage, heart flower, borage, borage,

This plant is also known as Borago, joy of the heart

The scientific name is from Spanish or Late Latin bogra, burra - shaggy beard.

Latin name Borago officinalis L

Genus Borago - Borage

borage borage borage or cordial flower

This plant gave the name to a whole family - borage - which includes such well-known folk medicine plants like lungwort, comfrey and blackroot.
The medicinal properties of borage have been known for quite some time. This plant was known to many ancient peoples. IN Ancient Rome it was believed that it improves mood and makes a person more courageous. In England, during the time of Queen Elizabeth 1, its flowers were added to salads to evoke pleasant thoughts. They were added to wine to “amuse people” and cough syrups. At the end of the 16th century. English herbalists treated sleepwalking, melancholy, Bad mood. As it turned out, this use was quite justified. It has been proven that borage stimulates the adrenal cortex and promotes the production of adrenaline, which increases tone.

In modern medical practice used for heart weakness and to improve performance.

Description Borage - Borago

Borage officinalis or borage Borago officinalis- the only species of a monotypic genus of flowering plants.

The low herbaceous annual vegetable plant resembles both lungwort and comfrey, only greatly reduced. Has a cucumber scent (young leaves borage smell fresh cucumber) for which people call it borage grass.

The entire plant, especially an adult one, is heavily pubescent with spiny hairs and feels rough to the touch.

Root well developed, taproot and numerous lateral roots.

The stem is erect, thick, fleshy, branched, short-haired, 80-100 cm tall. The stem is crowned with a curl of flowers.

Leaves alternate, large, fleshy, whole, widely elongated in shape - oval, wrinkled, wavy along the edge, finely toothed, hairy-pubescent.

The lower leaves are large, petiolate, ovate, elliptical, obtuse, the upper ones are much smaller, sessile, oval, ovate-oblong.

Inflorescences are corymbose-paniculate.

Flowers large, blue with pink tint, less often white, drooping, similar to five-pointed stars.

They are located at the ends of the stems and are collected in a spreading thyroid-paniculate inflorescence.

Fetus borage consists of four obovate-shaped nuts. The nuts are elongated, somewhat curved, irregularly rounded in cross section, with a folded surface, dark brown, less often light brown or almost black in color.

The plant blooms in June-July, the seeds ripen in July-August.

Distribution of Borago

The homeland of borage is Asia Minor and the Mediterranean coast.

Found in the wild in North America, Europe and Asia Minor, including in the southern regions of our country.

In the wild, the plant is found throughout the European part of Russia and Siberia, most often near human habitation. Sometimes grown as an ornamental or salad plant.

Growing on site

Local varieties are cultivated in our country and abroad.

Agricultural technology

Does not require special techniques cultivation.

Borage is the fastest growing plant.. The leaves begin to be cut 15 - 20 days after germination and before the flower stem appears. The grass is harvested while it is young. Therefore, it must be sown at several times.

Growing this plant is absolutely easy. Borage tolerates light shade and prefers well-moistened fertile soils. The plant is very cold-resistant.

Grows well in a variety of soils, but better in looser soils rich in humus. In dry and hot weather, a flower stalk quickly forms, the leaves become coarse and become tasteless.
A high yield of leaves can only be achieved on rich and sufficiently moist soils.

Reproduction

Borago can be sown before winter or early in spring as soon as the soil has thawed. . To obtain young tender greens, sowing is carried out at several times. In summer time borage It is recommended to sow in partial shade.

Seeds are sown in a single line with row spacing of 25 - 30 cm or in two or three line tapes with a distance between lines of 20 - 25 cm, between tapes - 45 cm, in a row between plants - 15 cm. Seed placement depth - 1.5 - 2.0 cm , their seeding rate is 8 - 10 g per 1 m2 or 25-30 kg per 1 ha.

When growing cucumber grass for greens in protected soil, the seeds are sown somewhat thicker than in open ground. Sowing in rows, at a distance of 6 - 8 cm, as well as scattered. 6 - 8 kg of seeds are sown per 1 ha.

It blooms for a long time, and it grows quickly, so it can be planted in a visible place on the site, and not hidden in secluded places. Seeds are sown in spring, early May, without preliminary preparation. You won't have to wait long for seedlings.

When sowing borage seeds in the ground, seedlings appear on the 7th - 9th day. The seedlings are thinned out twice, leaving a distance between plants of 15-20 cm.

Care

Caring for crops consists of loosening the rows, weeding, and in dry summers, watering.

In case of poor plant development, they are fed with one of the nutrient mixtures (2 - 3 g per 1 m2) or nitrammophos (2 g per 1 m2).

On low-fertility soils - fertilizing with ammonium nitrate - 2 centners per 1 ha. When growing cucumber for seeds, the seeding rate is reduced to 13 kg.

In the phase of two or three true leaves, plants are thinned by 8-10 cm.

Seeds

When cutting raw materials, do not forget that the plant is an annual plant and you will need seeds for sowing next year.

The seeds of borage are large, 1000 pieces weigh 13 - 18 g. They retain germination well for 2 - 3 years. Renews itself by self-seeding.

To obtain seeds, borage is sown in early spring at a distance of 40 - 60 cm row from row at the rate of 35 - 40 kg of seeds per 1 ha. Caring for plants involves weeding and loosening the rows.

Borage - Borage blooms in June - early July, flowering continues until September. Mass seed ripening is observed in August. Flowering and ripening are very extended, therefore, to avoid shedding, plants are cut off as the seeds turn brown.

To prevent them from shedding, harvesting begins when the seeds in the lower part of the inflorescence begin to turn brown. There is no point in waiting for all the seeds to ripen. If you wait for the last ones, then the first ones, the largest ones, will simply crumble. Therefore, when the last flowers begin to bloom, cut off the flower stalks and place them on paper in a dry place.

Cut stems are placed in a well-ventilated area for ripening. As they dry, the unripe seeds ripen, and the ripened ones fall out onto the paper. After 8-10 days, the seeds are threshed. After this, you can collect them and calmly wait for the next season.

Cucumber grass is little affected by diseases and pests.

Advice. The plant can be placed in partial shade near bushes.

Borage Harvesting, Drying and Storage

Borage leaves are collected from at a young age, before the plant develops a flower stem. Young plants with cotyledons and the first leaf are more tender. They are harvested whole, like spinach. Basically, borage is cut off as it is consumed. If they are cut for storage, they are dried under a canopy or in attics. Store in a closed container.