The Borage Family (Boraginaceae) are a group of hairy to bristly herbs with flowers unfurling from coiled spikes in shades of white pink and blue.

Borage

Borage (Borago officinalis) is a tall and attractive plant with star-shaped blue flowers and roughly hairy leaves. It needs room to spread and some support in windy spots. The flowers and leaves have a cucumber flavour – the blue flowers look stunning in summer wine cups. Medicinally it has gentle beneficial effects on mood, lifting the spirits and reducing melancholy. “Borage for courage”. It is useful for those suffering from fevers, post-viral fatigue and pre-menstrual syndrome, as well as menopausal and post-natal depression. High in potassium, it is an excellent diuretic. Its cooling juice is indicated for kidney inflammation and rheumatism. The seed oil (also called starflower oil) is rich in gamma-linoleic acid and can help balance hormones.

Comfrey

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a robust branching perennial with long tongue-shaped roughly hairy leaves and bell-shaped flowers that bees adore. Its traditional name is “Knitbone” and the common name comes from confervere “to grow together, to consolidate”, indicating its ability to speed healing of broken bones and sprains.

It is still used externally for these reasons but herbalists in Ireland are no longer allowed to use Comfrey internally, where it is very useful for healing peptic ulcers and pneumonia scarring, due to concerns about hepatotoxicity (they use the safe Plantain leaf instead). Both Comfrey and Borage contain chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can theoretically cause liver damage after long-term use but incidences of poisoning have not been linked to medicinal use, but rather excess consumption of these plants in times of drought or malnutrition. The fresh leaves, when crushed to release the juice, make excellent fresh poultices for sprains and strains. Both the leaf and root can be extracted in oil to speed cell regeneration for clean wounds, broken bones and ligament damage. Do not use on deep cuts, where the healing can be so fast that the surface will heal before the wound has healed properly from the bottom up.

Comfrey poultice

Take several fresh leaves of Comfrey. Bruise and crush until they start to feel juicy. Strap around the affected joint (e.g. sprained ankle or wrist) and bandage into place. Change the poultice after 12-24 hours. Speeds up cell regeneration to improve healing time.

Forget-me-nots

Forget-me-nots (Myosostis sp.) are small plants of flower beds and borders with pretty blue 5-petalled flowers. They have been recorded as being used for coughs thanks to their balancing (moistly soothing and toning) constituents.