Refreshing borage: use of borage and its beneficial properties and contraindications. Use of borage in agriculture. Recipes for dishes made from borage cucumber herb

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 plot.

borage or Borago adds flavor 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.

The grass originated in the Mediterranean Sea.

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

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 V paired organ and will alleviate a person’s 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 greens have an aroma 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 pale blue hue.

Homemade aromatic liqueurs are prepared using flowers.

Even a beginner can grow borage

IN autumn period When digging up a dacha area, you need to add superphosphate (about 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 (ammonium nitrate is an excellent solution) at a rate of 15 grams. 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 greenberries 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 the summer - in the shade.

Sowing before winter tolerates cold well, as the plant is frost-resistant. On spring days, borage 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.

Every European knows this annual plant with oval, heavily pubescent leaves and small blue inflorescences. People call borage borage or borage for its aroma. And in the scientific literature the name borage appears, since the crop is from the Borachnikov family. Some are happy to see a kind of furry decoration in theirs, others consider the plant nutritious and use it in salads. But there are also those who consider it. What borage actually is, why borage is valuable and what beneficial properties it has - let's try to figure it out.

Beneficial features

Official medicine Borago is not yet recognized, but the composition of the plant has been studied in laboratory conditions. In him discovered carotene, saponin, silicon and ascorbic acid, as well as resinous and tannin substances.
The stems and foliage of the crop consist of 30 percent mucus and essential oil. These are the components traditional healers appreciated for its enveloping, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic and emollient properties. The herb is consumed together with flax seeds and marshmallow.

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 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. In prolonged heat, it is necessary to loosen it at least occasionally between the rows. At first, the grass will gratefully accept feeding from the infusion solution. 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.

Collection of leaves and seeds

Used for medicinal and culinary purposes only young leaves with tender fleshy pulp. 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 July. 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. In this way, self-seeding is obtained, which will ensure the growth of the crop next year, but at the same time, getting out of control, it will turn the planting into thorny thickets 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, 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. 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.

Use in cooking

Borage has found its way into the kitchen thanks to its fresh-reminiscent aroma and subtle taste of the mixture. young feather and pulp.
For culinary preparations use fresh foliage that is no more than a week old. The pulp, peeled from the fleecy skin, is added to various salads, drinks, soups, sauces, side dishes, borscht, and okroshka.

Meat and fish dishes Sometimes borage roots are added 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.

Many people use borage as greens. For example, chopped leaves are generously sprinkled on boiled soup, which is 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 liqueurs, etc. 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 beneficial influence for dry, dehydrated, aging and sensitive skin.
The drug is suitable for everyone, once it enters the epidermis, it promotes cell regeneration, smoothes fine wrinkles, gives skin healthy look. This component is simply necessary for recovery after aggressive cosmetic procedures by type of dermabrasion, chemical peelings.

Borage oil in cosmetology used 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

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 borago they smell like fresh cucumber) for which people call it cucumber 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 a 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

Homeland of borage - Asia Minor and the Mediterranean coast.

It is found 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 cultivation techniques.

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 grows quickly, so it can be planted in a visible place on the site, and not hidden in secluded places. Seeds are sown in the spring, in early May, without prior 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 development of plants, they are fed with one of nutritional mixtures(2 - 3 g per 1 m2) or nitrammofoskaya (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 out 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 Grass 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.

Borage (borage, borage, borage) - annual herbaceous plant Borage family. Borago has hairy stems and leaves and beautiful blue flowers. This plant is used in decorative floriculture, as well as in cooking as an early herb and in folk medicine, as it has anti-inflammatory, sedative and diuretic properties.

Preparation of medicinal raw materials

As medicinal raw materials grass with inflorescences and cucumber seeds are used. The grass is harvested during the flowering period of the plant, cutting off the stems at the bottom, right near the ground. Next, the stems are cleared of the lower leaves and dried in a well-ventilated area or directly in the sun. Store harvested herbs in a cool, dry place for no longer than a year.
You can also prepare borage for future use by freezing it.
Borage seeds are collected as they ripen in late summer-early autumn in dry weather.

Composition and application

The shoots and leaves of borage are rich in: saponins, tannins, vitamin C, carotene, potassium, phosphorus and others mineral salts, malic, silicic and citric organic acids, fatty acids, mucus, resins and essential oil.

Borage is used for:

• cough, cold, fever;
• muscle pain, rheumatism and gout;
• neuroses and increased nervous excitability, insomnia;
• cardiac disorders;
• gastritis, colitis, constipation;
• urolithiasis and cholelithiasis;
• inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract;
• vitamin deficiency;
• swelling;
• metabolic disorders;
• skin diseases and wounds (externally).

Recipes

Juice
Borage juice is universal remedy from the above diseases: nervousness, kidney inflammation, fever, etc. In addition, borage juice will help fight obesity: for this it can be consumed in its pure form, or mixed with celery juice.
To prepare borage juice, take the fresh lower leaves of the plant and wash them in cold water, pour boiling water over it and grind it using a meat grinder or food processor. Then squeeze the resulting mass through several layers of gauze. Next, dilute the juice boiled water or whey in a 1:1 ratio and boil for 3 minutes. Cool the juice. Take 3 tablespoons three times a day 30 minutes before meals.

In addition to cucumber juice, you can make healing infusions and decoctions.
Infusion:

• 1 tbsp. cucumber herb;
• 1 tbsp. boiling water

Pour boiling water over the chopped borage and let it brew for 40 minutes. Strain the resulting infusion and take 1/4 cup 4 times a day. The infusion helps improve metabolism and calm the nervous system.
Infusion for gastritis:

• 5 g borage flowers;
• 200 ml boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the flowers and leave to steep under the lid for 6 hours. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day. This infusion will also help with diseases of the heart, kidneys and bladder.
Infusion for heart and kidney diseases:

• 1 tbsp. without a hill of borage grass;
• 2 tbsp. boiling water

Pour boiling water over the borage in a thermos and leave overnight. In the morning, strain and take half a glass 4 times a day before meals.

Cold infusion:

• 3 tbsp. crushed borage leaves;
• 2 tbsp. chilled boiled water.

Pour water over the borage and leave to steep for two hours. Strain. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.
Decoction for depression:

• 1 tsp borage herbs;
• 1 tbsp. boiling water;
• 1 tsp honey

Pour boiling water over the chopped herb, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey. Drink half a glass in the morning and evening for 3 weeks.
Decoction for nervous disorders:

• 1 tbsp. cucumber herb;
• 1 tbsp. boiling water

Pour boiling water over the borage and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Then remove the broth from the heat and let it brew for 30 minutes. Strain the cooled broth and take 1 tablespoon three times a day. This recipe is also suitable for the treatment of gastritis with low acidity.

Anti-sweating infusion:

• 1 part borage herb;
• 1 part strawberry leaves;
• 250 ml of boiling water (per 1 tablespoon of collection).

Prepare a collection of the indicated herbs and brew 1 tablespoon of the collection with boiling water. Let the drink brew for 15 minutes and drink instead of tea. The recommended course of treatment is no longer than 1 month.
Tea with borage:

• 1 tbsp. herbs or 1 tsp. borage flowers;
• 250 ml boiling water.

Brew borage with boiling water like regular tea and drink a cup a day for 21-30 days. This tea helps reduce blood pressure and temperature, increasing lactation, strengthening the heart muscle. You can also drink it to treat upper respiratory tract infections.
General strengthening infusion:

• 1 tbsp. borage herbs;
• 1 tbsp. boiling water;
• 1-2 tsp. honey

Pour boiling water over the borage and let it brew for an hour. Then strain and add honey. Take 1 tablespoon three times daily before meals. After a month of treatment you should do month break, and then the course can be repeated.

Infusion for external use:

• 1 handful dried leaves borage;
• 500 ml boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the leaves, cover the container with the mixture and let it brew for 15 minutes. Then the resulting infusion is used for compresses against wounds, ulcers, and burns on the skin.

Borage in cosmetology

In cosmetology, borage oil is often used both in pure form and in creams. Borage oil is good for dry, aging, sensitive skin. It is also used in masks for oily skin.
Borage oil:

• 2 tbsp. borage flowers;
• 100 g olive oil.

Pour oil over the flowers and heat for 15 minutes in a water bath. Then wait until the resulting product has cooled and strain.
Hair mask for dandruff and growth:

• 1 part sea buckthorn oil.

Mix the oils, heat to a warm temperature, apply to the scalp, wrap your head with a plastic bag and a scarf or towel on top. Keep the mask on for 1-2 hours. Wash off with shampoo.

Mask for dry skin:

• 1 tsp borage oils;
• 1 egg yolk;
• 3 drops of orange oil.

Mix all the ingredients and apply the mask on your face for half an hour. Rinse it off warm water.
Mask for combination and oily skin:

• 1 tsp borage oils;
• 5 drops of lemon juice;
• 4 drops tea tree oil.

Mix the above ingredients and apply to cleansed face. After an hour, wash with warm water and soap.
Hand cream:

• 1 part borage oil;
• 1 part jojoba oil;
• 1 part coconut oil.

Mix the oils and apply to your hands before going to bed.
Borage oil is also used to relieve joint pain and treat psoriasis - for this, it is applied in its pure form to sore or affected areas.

Contraindications

The only contraindications to the use of cucumber are individual intolerance and liver disease. However, you should strictly follow your doctor's recommendations and dosage of medications. Exceeding the dose medicines borage-based and taken for more than one month may cause liver dysfunction. It is better to take this plant as part of herbal preparations.

Borago belongs to the alyssum family and is popularly called borago, which received it for the strong aroma of fresh cucumber. In medicinal books the name borage is found. Borage is an annual, early-ripening, cold-resistant plant, completely unpretentious to growing conditions. Will grow on any soil, in sunny or partial shade. The best nutritional and healing qualities Borago will show on loose and fertile lands.

How to grow borage?

The technique of growing borage is very simple, even a child can handle it. Seeds are sown in early spring days, starting in April, at several times, as a conveyor crop. When sown in early April, the greens are ready in mid-May. Strong friendly shoots appear in 5...9 days. The depth of planting seeds in the soil is from 2..2.5 cm to 3..4 cm if the soil is light or sandy. A distance of 8..15 cm is left between plants, 30...45 cm between rows.

Plants have good vigor in moderate temperatures and well-fed soil. In hot weather, borage quickly bolts and throws out a flower stem. Therefore, in dry weather, plants need watering. Borago care consists of loosening, weeding and watering. Harvest cucumber greens as young leaves grow. Aging leaves are coarser and less tasty. The leaves are used until the plants bolt. To obtain young greenery, repeated sowings are carried out, skipping the crown of summer, that is, the hottest time of the summer season.

What do you eat borage with?

Borago leaves are pubescent, so it is better not to cut them into dishes, but to crush them, as our grandmothers did, flavoring salads, cold soups, hash, vinaigrettes, sauces, gravies, marinades, and vinegars with aromatic cucumber dressing. Fresh flowers flavor cold fruit drinks. And cakes are decorated with candied flowers. Dried flowers improve the taste of baked goods.

What is nutritious and healing power Borago?

Plants have a wide nutritional composition. in them large quantities contains vitamins, organic acids, essential oil, tannins and mucous substances, sugars, carotene, minerals. IN medicinal purposes borage has been used since ancient times for decreased tone body and melancholy. The entire above-ground part of plants is used in folk medicine. An infusion of flowers and leaves is drunk for heart neurosis and nervous disorders, for rheumatic pain in joints and muscles, for gout, for metabolic disorders. The herb is used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, emollient and enveloping drug.