Know2eat

Borage

Borago officinalis

What borage has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About borage

A bristly annual with cucumber-scented leaves and bright blue star-shaped flowers, eaten as a cooked green in Liguria and Aragón and used as a garnish elsewhere. The leaves are covered in stiff hairs that soften with cooking.

Also known as Starflower, Bee bush, Borragine

Inflammation

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Inflammatory markers

Inflammation
Insufficient evidence

Almost all human research associated with borage concerns borage seed oil and its gamma-linolenic acid, not the leaf eaten as a vegetable. Nothing can be read across from one to the other, and the leaf carries a toxicity concern the oil does not.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Borage

Ask about Borage

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories21 kcal1%
Protein1.8 g4%
Total fat0.7 g1%
Carbohydrate3.06 g1%
Water93 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.17 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.211 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.109 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.109 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A210 µg23%
Vitamin C35 mg39%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.06 mg5%
Riboflavin (B2)0.15 mg12%
Niacin (B3)0.9 mg6%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.041 mg1%
Vitamin B60.084 mg5%
Folate13 µg3%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium93 mg7%
Iron3.3 mg18%
Magnesium52 mg12%
Phosphorus53 mg4%
Potassium470 mg10%
Sodium80 mg3%
Zinc0.2 mg2%
Copper0.13 mg14%
Manganese0.349 mg15%
Selenium0.9 µg2%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.44 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Borage, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170481).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the leaf

    Borage leaves and flowers contain unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a class of compound that is toxic to the liver and, at sustained exposure, associated with hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Several European food safety bodies have set limits on pyrrolizidine alkaloids in foods and advise against regular or large intakes of borage leaf. Borage seed oil is a different product and is refined to remove them.

  • Avoid

    Not for pregnancy, breastfeeding or liver disease

    Pyrrolizidine alkaloids cross the placenta and pass into breast milk. Standard guidance is to avoid borage leaf entirely during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and for anyone with existing liver disease.

  • Worth knowing

    Nitrate accumulation

    Borage is a rapid grower that accumulates nitrate, and it has been flagged in surveys of nitrate in leafy vegetables. This is a minor consideration next to the alkaloid question.