Borage herb medicinal properties. Cucumber grass: useful properties, contraindications, benefits and harms. Cucumber grass - description

Cucumber grass is an unusually pretty plant belonging to the borage family. In the people it is also called or gimlet. Borago is cultivated by many amateurs in their gardens in order to obtain early greenery. The smell and taste of this herb are identical to cucumbers. Hence its name arose: borage. Borage is famous as an excellent honey plant, it is practiced in traditional medicine and culinary technologies. Useful properties and contraindications of borage will be discussed below.

Distribution area

Southern Europe is considered the birthplace of wild forms of borage. But in our time, specimens of this plant are found in the north of the African continent, in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, South America, Asia Minor and Asia Minor. As a cultivated plant, it is cultivated throughout Europe and the USA. In Russia, wild forms of borage are found in certain areas of the European part, mainly in the south of the country, where it grows as common weed.

Biological features

Cucumber grass, the photo of which is in the article, belongs to the cross-pollinated, rather cold-resistant and But in the hot summer season, its leaves coarsen and a peduncle begins to form. Prefers neutral or slightly acid soils of light mechanical composition. The length of the growing season is 70-80 days. Borage usually grows up to 60-80 cm, on thick stems, hollow inside. The stem is well branched at the top. Those leaves that form in the lower tier have an oval appearance, a long petiole and large size. On the upper tier, smaller leaves are formed, oblong shape, sessile, covered with hard white pubescence.

Borage inflorescences

The flowering stage stretches from mid-summer to August inclusive. And fruiting occurs from July to September. The inflorescence is represented by a panicle, which combines single gimlet flowers on long stems. The flowers are large star-shaped, blue or blue, with anthers. purple. Each single flower accumulates up to 5-12 mg of nectar. From the ovary of flowers, a fruit is formed - a nutlet of a dark brown color.

borage seeds

Borage seeds are quite large, easily crumbling nuts, remain viable for 2-3 years. The fruit is up to 5 mm long, ribbed and unequal in shape.

Varietal composition

This crop does not have generally accepted domestic or foreign zoned varieties. Each locality uses its own varietal lines and populations.

Agrotechnics of borage

Cultural forms of borage are sown in the spring or before winter, before the arrival of frost. In subsequent years, the grass can propagate by self-seeding. When sowing, the scheme is used: the width between the rows is 30 cm and in the row the sowing step between plants is 10 cm. The seeds are buried in the soil by 2 cm. On the tenth day, shoots appear from the seeds.

plant care

In the phase of the first true leaf, the plants should be thinned out, leaving 9-10 cm between them. During the growing season, the aisle should be loosened and weeded three times. And in dry summer water several times. Soil moisture should be constantly maintained at 80% HB. Borage responds very well to fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers. The first top dressing should be carried out with urea during the period of thinning plants. To do this, dissolve 12 grams of urea in a bucket of water and feed the plant with this solution. The second feeding can be carried out 25 days after the first. Here it is appropriate to apply a solution of mullein in a ratio of 1: 5 with water.

Cleaning

The collection of leaves begins when they are in young age, even before the appearance of the peduncle. Leaves are not taken from plants left for seed. When the seed pods turn brown, the stems are cut off at the bottom of the inflorescences. From one square meter you can get 20 grams of seeds and 600 grams of greens. Borage can be grown on a windowsill. The leaves are periodically cut from it and dried in the shade.

Chemical composition

The beneficial properties of borage are due to the rich content of useful chemical organic and inorganic components that can have a healing effect on people's health. In the vegetative mass and seeds are available:

• essential oils;
• mucous compounds;
• substances from the group of tannins;
• silicon;
• compounds from the group of saponins;
• resin compounds;
• vitamin C;
• zinc;
• potassium;
• carotene;
• Apple acid;
• calcium;
• choline;
• iron;
• citric acid and other equally valuable substances.

Essential oil reserves were found in the flowers. The oil, which is produced from seeds, is also highly valued. It consists of 20-27% gamma linolenic acid used in pharmacology. In addition, the oil contains alpha-linolenic acid, the presence of which reaches 10%. In its composition and properties, it is very similar to primrose oil. The presence of essential oil in borage varies between 0.01-0.13%. Moreover, over time, the accumulation of this product by the plant occurs, therefore, there is more oil in old leaves than in young ones. In this oil, 23 volatile compounds have been isolated, of which aldehydes, as well as non-adcane, tetracosane and heptacosan, are especially valuable.

Useful qualities

The beneficial properties of borage (borage, the photo of which you have the opportunity to see in the article) have been studied since ancient times. Great importance have irreplaceable fatty acid present in the plant. They are needed human body to preserve the vitality and health of the skin.

If these substances are lacking in the body, mood may suddenly fall, immunity is weakened, inflammation of the organs and weakening of the heart may develop. Essential fatty acids are responsible for the condition of nails and hair. They are especially necessary for children.

Potassium, which is in the plant, favors the removal of water from the body, and with it toxic compounds. Freshly squeezed borage juice can contain up to a third of potassium, while dried leaves contain only 3 percent. Choline has a beneficial effect on the glands that produce sweat, thanks to which the body's thermoregulation occurs. Therefore, the plant is used for coughing, colds and fever. A nicotinic acid has a calming effect on the body, removes anxiety and nervousness.

Westerners habitually eat young leaves of borage, adding them to various dishes. Fresh flowers are placed in glasses with drinks or wine, and candied inflorescences are eaten for dessert. Formed leaves can be stewed, used in marinades and pickles. Borage inflorescences are used in industry in the production of confectionery and cognac.

When should borage be used?

Modern healers recommend using borage as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, laxative and enveloping agent to cure fever, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, colds, constipation. As a diuretic, borage is used to treat edema, kidney disease, Bladder and urinary ducts. To do this, his infusions are taken orally. Compresses with the use of borage leaves have an antirheumatic and analgesic effect, in the treatment of joint and muscle pain, as well as gout. Borage seeds boiled in grape wine are prescribed to increase mothers' lactation.

Borago, or borage (photo, beneficial features- in the article), also has a calming property, is widely used in homeopathy, in the treatment of depression, neurasthenia and sleep disorders. Decoctions of its leaves are used to treat skin rashes, eczema, and other skin conditions. Borage mineral salts improve metabolism, so it is included in multicomponent diets.

Alternative medicine advises turning to borage for the following diseases:

• asthenia;
• rheumatic diseases;
• pain in the joints;
• insomnia;
• gout;
• inflammation of the bladder and kidneys;
• colitis;
• gastritis;
• fever
• constipation
• neurasthenia;
• edema;
• catarrhal phenomena;
• cardiac neuroses;
• skin diseases.

But before deciding to use medicines made from borage, you should consult a doctor, as self-medication can only aggravate the situation. Therapy folk methods is effective only in combination with the main drug treatment and under the supervision of a specialist.

Contraindications

Cucumber grass has few contraindications. Its main problem is the insignificant presence of the alkaloid pyrrolizidine, known for its ability to cause liver cancer. Therefore, you can not use borage for food or for treatment for more than 30 days in a row. It is also forbidden to take borage along with a group of drugs related to anticoagulants. In a separate category of persons, borage can cause convulsive phenomena, pain in the head, nausea or bloating. Usually, all these ailments are mild. The hairs present on the stem and leaves are very coarse and can irritate sensitive skin. Therefore, it is better to wear gloves during the collection process.

The use of borage by pregnant or nursing mothers is highly undesirable. Despite the fact that since ancient times it has always been used as a means of improving lactation, this prohibition is associated with a lack of scientific information about the effect of this plant on the body of women at this time.

It is absolutely forbidden to use grass for persons suffering from epileptic seizures, schizophrenic disorders, seizures, or taking phenothiazine medication. It is better to take decoctions and infusions of borage in the composition herbal preparations and consult your doctor before doing so. Some believe that the gamma-linolenic acid present in the plant may favor growth and reproduction. cancer cells. However, this has not yet been proven by anyone.

Preparation of infusions and decoctions

Before preparing juice from borage, fresh leaves of the lower tier should first be thoroughly washed with running water, scalded with boiling water, and then passed through a meat grinder.

The resulting mass is squeezed through two layers of gauze and we get cell sap borago. The squeezed juice is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1 and boiled over low heat for 4 minutes. After that, it remains only to cool and strain the broth, and it is ready for use. Take a decoction inside should be three times a day, immediately after eating, 2 tablespoons. IN individual cases, with skin diseases, it can be practiced for external use.

A healing infusion is also prepared from borage. For this purpose, take 2 tablespoons of dried and crushed leaves or 1 tablespoon of dried flowers and pour them with boiling water in an amount of 200 ml. The mixture, which has been infused for two hours, is filtered and three times a day is used orally, 1 tbsp. spoon, for diseases of the muscles and joints, as well as for gout or rheumatism.

To cure gastritis and inflammation of the kidneys, as well as to normalize cardiac activity, it is necessary to consume 100 grams of borage infusion three times a day, in the preparation of which 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flowers was poured with boiling water in an amount of 200 ml and infused for 6 hours.

Cucumber herb or borage is well known as a garden crop. It is also often used to decorate the landscape of gardens and household plots.

Medicinal properties and its other qualities were highly valued in ancient times. In Europe, it was called "joy for the heart." Ancient Roman warriors took it with them on campaigns. It was believed that she gives courage before the battle, raises the spirit, gives joy. Cucumber grass is eaten raw because its leaves smell very appetizing.

Borage (borage) - annual plant, which has a branched stem with a height of 35 to 60 cm. top leaves dense oblong, and the upper - petiolate, rounded - oblong.

The Latin name of the borage herb Borago offlcinalls L. probably came from the Arabic abu arag - "father of sweat", because. the herb is used as a diaphoretic, or from burra, "hairy clothes," since has a hard pubescence.

The plant blooms all summer, starting in June with small white or bright blue flowers, from which, after flowering, fruits similar to dark brown nuts appear.

Currently, borage is used in medicine and in cooking. Its leaves contain essential oils, the smell of which is reminiscent of the smell of young fresh cucumber. Therefore, they are added fresh to salads, vinaigrettes, soups, okroshka, used as a quality seasoning for meat, fish, as well as mushroom dishes.

Flowers and leaves of borage, and the whole plant as a whole, have a variety of healing qualities. The herb has diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, emollient, laxative and enveloping properties.

Plant-based medicines are used for edema for the treatment of kidneys and rheumatism.

Cucumber leaves effectively restore and improve metabolism.

Useful properties of borage are used for the preparation of medicines.

Infusion

This great use cucumber herb in folk medicine. Prepare an infusion of borage flowers. Pour dry flowers with boiling water in a ratio of 1:10, and then insist them in a tightly sealed container for half an hour.

Take a quarter cup of warm infusion 5 times a day as sedative in diseases of neurasthenia, rheumatic and heart pains, fever, inflammation of the kidneys, skin rashes and various inflammations respiratory tract, stomach and intestines.

* A tablespoon of dried flowers or 2 tablespoons of dry crushed leaves pour a glass of boiling water, close tightly, leave for an hour. Then strain and drink a tablespoon before meals to relieve muscle pain, with rheumatism, gout. You can add a little honey to the infusion for taste.

* Recovery mineral metabolism substances, prepare this infusion: Pour dry flowers with boiling water in a ratio of 1:40. Cover tightly with a lid and leave for an hour. Strain and drink a quarter cup after each meal.

* Pour a tablespoon of flowers with a glass of boiling water, wrap with a towel and leave for 2 hours. Strain, add some honey and drink a tablespoon between meals, at least 6 times a day. The infusion reveals everything healing properties borage
and will help with neuroses of the heart, muscular rheumatism, gout. The course of treatment for them is a month.

* Pour a tablespoon of dried flowers with a glass of boiling water, cover tightly, leave for 6 hours. Strain and drink half a glass before meals to treat gastritis with low acidity stomach, to relieve inflammation of the kidneys and to restore cardiac activity.

* To increase lactation in breastfeeding women, collect borage seeds. Rub a quarter cup of seeds well and pour half a liter of natural grape wine. Close the bottle tightly and store in a dark, cool place for a week.

Then strain and take a tablespoon 2 times a day, after feeding the baby.

Freshly squeezed borage juice has effective medicinal properties in the treatment of neurasthenia and neuroses. Drink it in a tablespoon after meals.

Borage flowers are used in the liquor and confectionery industries as a natural dye and flavor. Due to the fragrant smell, tart taste, the presence of vitamins, flowers, leaves and shoots are brewed like tea.

Flowers produce a lot of pollen and nectar, so they are very fond of bees. Growing borage grass is within the power of any gardener. To do this, it is sown near apiaries, as well as near gardens, kitchen gardens or melons to attract pollinating insects. As a result, plants pollinate better.

As you can see, the benefits of borage are obvious, and therefore it is widely used for treatment various ailments, just as vitamin remedy and to increase the yield of other plants in the country.

Now is the time to bloom this wonderful plant. Collect its flowers and leaves, chop and dry them in the shade, covered with gauze. Since only the flowers will retain the aroma inherent in the grass during drying, collect more of them. After drying, transfer the borage to the winter in linen bags and glass jars.

An annual with oval strongly pubescent leaves and small blue inflorescences every European knows. In the people of borage, for the outgoing aroma, they call borage or borage. And in scientific literature the name borage is found, since the culture is from the genus Borage. Some are glad to see such a furry decoration in theirs, others consider the plant nutritious and use it in salads. But there are those who consider it. What actually is borage, what is the value of borage and what useful properties it has - let's try to figure it out.

Beneficial features

official medicine borage has not yet been recognized, but the composition of the plant has been studied in the laboratory. In him discovered carotene, saponin, silicon and ascorbic acid, as well as resinous and tannins.
The stems and foliage of the culture are 30 percent mucus and essential oil. It is these components traditional healers appreciated for enveloping, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic and emollient properties. The herb is consumed along with flax seeds and marshmallow.

The peculiarity of borage is that it is used only in fresh , and do not allow the collected raw materials to lie for a long time.
It will be useful if you eat freshly plucked 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

For development, the borage does not need to create additional conditions. In prolonged heat, it is necessary to loosen it at least occasionally in the aisles. At the beginning, the grass will gratefully accept top dressing from the infusion solution. As the bushes grow, crops must be thinned out and seeds collected in time. IN otherwise a thicket of shaggy borago is formed on the site.

Collection of leaves and seeds

Used for medicinal and culinary purposes only young leaves with tender fleshy flesh. Old specimens are no longer suitable for this, because every day their surface becomes hard and bristly. Therefore, it is advisable to collect foliage in the first 2-3 weeks of plant life.
The period of collecting flowers and grains is more extended. Borage blooms in early July and blooms until the very. This is how long the continuous maturation of the seed lasts, and the ripe samples do not stay long in the seed box and spill out into the ground. Thus, self-seeding is obtained, which will ensure the growth of the crop for the 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 features of the borago, the harvesting of seed raw materials should be done carefully and in a timely manner throughout July, August and September. For this, paper caps are used, into which ripe grains are shaken daily. And in order to avoid arbitrary entry of the seed into the ground, the near-stem holes are covered with cellophane. The flowers are cut to the extent of their full disclosure.

Did you know? Ancient Roman warriors added borago to. Such a 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 grieve and yearn.

Application in cooking

Cucumber grass has found its way into the kitchen thanks to its reminiscent fresh aroma and subtle taste of a mixture of young feathers and pulp.
For culinary preparations use fresh foliage, which is not more than a week. The pulp, peeled from the fleecy skin, is added to various salads, drinks, soups, sauces, side dishes, borscht, okroshka.

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

Many use borage as a green. For example, chopped leaves are generously sprinkled with boiled, which is seasoned with sour cream or other sauce.

Blue inflorescences in cooking play the role of not only a beautiful decoration of dishes, but also useful ingredient. They are used fresh, dried and candied.
Often housewives use flowers for, liqueurs and. They make a very fragrant 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, gallbladder.

Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology

In cosmetology, the annual also played an important role. Many beauties prefer cosmetics based on borage oil, which have rejuvenating and tonic properties.

Its merits are also beneficial effect for dry, dehydrated, aging and sensitive skin.
The drug is suitable for everyone, getting into the epidermis, it promotes cell regeneration, smoothes fine wrinkles, gives skin healthy look. Such a component is simply necessary for recovery after aggressive cosmetic procedures dermabrasion, chemical peels.

Borage oil in cosmetology used to treat hair, nails, dermatitis, as well as dandruff. The tool can be found in any pharmacy, it is recommended as in 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 sebaceous glands heads and faces prepare a mask of 1 teaspoon of borage oil, 4 drops of oil tea tree, 5 drops

The content of the article:

Cucumber grass (borage, volodka, borage, borage) is an annual plant that belongs to the Borage family. The Middle East (Syria) is considered the birthplace of Borago, but it can be found in almost every European country, South America and in northern Africa. Borage usually reaches about a meter in height, has elliptical leaves, bright blue flowers (with a pinkish tinge) and stiff hairs. The very name of the plant suggests that it tastes like a cucumber with its unique juicy content. Volodka lovers also note a sweet onion note when using the voiced product.

The composition and calorie content of borage

Borage, for all its unpretentiousness and even comparison with a weed, has many useful properties.

The calorie content of borage per 100 g is 21 kcal, of which:

• Proteins - 1.8 g;
• Fats - 0.7 g;
• Carbohydrates - 3.06 g;
• Water - 93 g;
• Ash - 1.44 g.

• Vitamin A - 210 mcg;
• Vitamin C - 35 mg;
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.06 mg;
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.15 mg;
• Vitamin B5 ( pantothenic acid) - 0.04 mg;
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.08 mg;
• Vitamin B9 (folates) - 13 mcg;
• Vitamin B12 (niacin, PP) - 0.9 mg.

• Potassium - 470 mg;
• Calcium - 93 mg;
• Magnesium - 52 mg;
• Sodium - 80 mg;
• Phosphorus - 53 mg.

• Iron - 3.3 mg;
• Manganese - 0.35 mg;
• Copper - 0.13 mg;
• Selenium - 0.9 mg;
• Zinc - 0.2 mg.

• Palmitic - 0.06 g;
• Stearic - 0.02 g.

• Palmitoleic - 0.19 g;
• Erukova - 0.02 g.

The composition of borage borage is useful in that it contains the following components:

1. Carotene. Being an excellent antioxidant, this substance removes free radicals from the body. However, it helps to improve human vision.
2. Ascorbic acid. Iron absorption, stimulation of the liver, normalization of vascular permeability and increased immunity are the main functions of this vitamin.
3. organic acids. The content of citric and malic acids in borage allows this product to actively participate in the digestive process.
4. Potassium. Nervous system a person needs this element. The activity of the heart also depends on it.
5. Tannins (tannins). They have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and hemostatic effect.
6. Mucous substances. It should be noted their ability to envelop the lining of the stomach, helping it to function and resist the attack of bacteria.
7. Saponins. Data chemical organic compounds reduce the risk of tumor formation.

Useful properties of borage

Useful properties of borage grass are as follows:

• Solving problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Borage is indispensable for gastritis due to the presence in its composition tannins. Such therapy will not interfere during a systemic failure of the functioning of the intestine.
• Anti-inflammatory effect. At the same time, it is necessary to use both the leaves of this plant and its flowers for food. They not only reduce problems with internal inflammation but also help to fight skin rashes in a person.
• Depressant. Cucumber tea is able to fight problems such as depression, panic attacks, nervousness and hysteria. Quite often, experts advise parents to give healing drink to their teenage children during their hormonal changes.
• Treatment for insomnia. Due to the fact that borage grass has a sedative property, its regular use will help get rid of CFS (syndrome chronic fatigue) overly impressionable persons and workaholics.
• Diuretic. The sounded product has soft effect and does not cause adverse reactions. Experts recommend using borage for people who suffer from edema and cystitis.
• Increased lactation. For this purpose, the seeds of the plant are used directly. It is not easy to get them, because it is necessary to collect the desired product in time before it falls off. When storing seeds, it is worth remembering that in most cases they become a favorite delicacy of rodents.
• Laxative. At chronic constipation it is necessary to stock up on borage because of the presence of a large amount of mucous substances in it, which will save a person from a delicate problem.
• Expectorant effect. People with chronic bronchitis and the accumulation of sputum in the bronchi simply can not do without borage. Sometimes it should be combined with other drugs if their effect is not up to expectations.
• Youth extension. going on this prevention due to the inclusion of gamma-linolenic acid in the composition of borage. The long-awaited effect is observed both when taking the plant inside and using it externally in the form of masks and lotions.

Harm and contraindications to borage

In addition, it should be remembered that borage contains a large number of keratin. Its excess with uncontrolled eating of borage is dangerous for yellowing of the skin.

When it is used together with meat, a measure should also be observed so as not to provoke poisoning of the body.

Borage is useful for pregnant women, but you should play it safe and consult a specialist first.

Note! Contraindications to borage herb are so limited that you should not be afraid to eat it.

How is borage prepared?

In order to get a usable product instead of a weed, you should plant it in a shady place. It is necessary to remember the fact that this plant is able to spread throughout the site. It is for this reason that it is necessary to harvest the crop on time before the seeds enter the soil. Harvesting borage can be done at home right on the windowsill or balcony.

The plant is recommended to be cut to the very root during its flowering (it is best to choose the very beginning of the sounded period). The product is dried exclusively in a room that is well ventilated. This process can also be carried out under a canopy, if moisture definitely does not enter it.

Relatively this issue there is a lot of controversy, because famous culinary experts consider drying borage main reason losing her palatability and recommend to use it fresh.

Borage Recipes

Cucumber grass will be especially tasty in the following dishes:

• Vitaminized salad. Two tubers of Jerusalem artichoke must be grated along with three small carrots. To the resulting mass, add young borage leaves and season the salad olive oil.
• hearty salad. To prepare it, boiled tongue (you can replace it with ham) is cut in the form of noodles and mixed with fresh tomato, chopped garlic clove, egg, herbs, borage and mayonnaise. Grated cheese is added to the resulting mixture, and then the salad is decorated with borage flowers.
• Braised cucumber grass. The product must first be crushed, fried lightly on butter and simmer for 3-4 minutes in salted water. The plant rubbed through a sieve is then mixed with two stewed zucchini and one steamed carrot. This dish is an excellent side dish for beef or pork.
• Okroshka. Recipes with borage herb would be incomplete without a description of this cold soup. 750 ml of curdled milk must be beaten and added to the resulting mass of 20 ml of vegetable oil, 30 g of mashed borage leaves, 400 g of chopped cucumbers, two chopped eggs and salt to taste. The voiced components should be poured into 300 ml of chilled boiled water, and also flavor with dill and black pepper. For those who do not like dairy products, yogurt can be replaced with kvass (0.5 l of drink with the addition of 60 g of boiled beef to the described recipe).
• Special Cucumber Soup. First you need to prepare 0.5 liters of beetroot broth. 2 boiled potatoes should be mixed with 200 g of chopped borage, 3 eggs, 300 g of ham (you can replace it with ham), half a can of green peas. The voiced ingredients are then poured with beetroot broth.
• Fish with cheese. 1 kg of any fish fillet (it is better to take sea fish) should be cut into medium-sized pieces, which should be sprinkled with lemon juice. The baking dish must be greased with any vegetable oil and place prepared seafood on it. 3 heads cut into half rings onion should be fried and placed on top of the pieces laid out on a baking sheet. Two carrots are also thermally processed and laid out in a third layer in a mold. On top of fish and vegetables, 200 g of grated hard cheese should be evenly distributed. Upper layer it is necessary to grease with mayonnaise, add spices to taste and bake the dish for 30 minutes. After its readiness, the fish under the cheese is sprinkled with chopped borage.

Drinks with borage are especially popular in the East, but they are also prepared in other countries:

1. Lemonade. To prepare it, you need to mix the leaves of lemon balm, borage and mint in a mixer with the addition of the juice of half a lemon and two glasses of water to the listed components. Pour a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup into strained lemonade.
2. Tea. In boiling water you need to place 1 tbsp. l. tartar, hawthorn, oregano and borage grass. Tea should be infused overnight to become a healthier and more flavorful drink.
3. Borage juice. For its manufacture, only the lower leaves of the plant are taken, which must be turned through a meat grinder. Then the resulting pulp should be diluted with equal doses of boiled water, whey and boiled for 2-3 minutes. This juice can prevent liver problems if consumed in moderation.
4. borage cocktail. If you have a desire to impress your guests with an unusual alcoholic drink, you should adhere to certain proportions in its manufacture. It is recommended to mix a small bunch of borage with 100 ml in a mixer lemon juice with the addition of a pinch of cinnamon and 25 g of champagne in spilled glasses. You can decorate the resulting cocktail with pineapple slices.

In Rome, a rare warrior did not take a borago with him on a long journey, because he believed in it. healing power. In addition, it was believed that such a gift of nature is able to drive away melancholy.

Medieval knights had a peculiar tradition: only after drinking tea from borage, they were not afraid to enter the battlefield. Beautiful ladies decorated the armor of their gentlemen with this plant, considering it a reliable amulet.

The bees liked this grass the most, so it can be called an excellent honey plant. Even in cool weather, voiced insects visit it, which brings good income to beekeepers. As a result, they get light honey and pollen.

In the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, borage has no equal. Pest activity is significantly reduced if potatoes are planted with it.

If there is a desire to dye a product made of wool in Blue colour, then in this case you can also benefit from borage. For this, its aerial part is taken in the form of bright blue petals.

In different national cuisines, borage is used in different ways. In America, the leaves and dried flowers of the plant are preferred. Usually salads are prepared from them, supplementing borage with vegetables and herbs. Among Americans, a dessert made from candied borage flowers is also popular.

Italians use this product in the manufacture of sandwiches, ravioli, salads, fish and meat dishes. Locals also prefer to add it to various spices.

In the East, borage is harvested for brewing and creating various hot drinks. In the West, it is widely used in the alcohol industry.

Leaves unpretentious plant domestic culinary specialists also fell in love (it became known about it in the 19th century). It is often included in okroshka, homemade kvass and vinaigrette. Tea with the addition of this herb is very spicy, but not everyone likes it.

Watch a video about borage borage:

Cucumber Grass (Borago)(other names: borage, borage medicinal, borage medicinal) belongs to the borage family. Its name is borage semi-leaves - whole, broadly elongated, the lower ones are ovoid, narrowed to the petioles, the upper ones are more oblong, smaller, sessile; flowers - blue, five-petalled, drooping, sitting on a long pedicel, collected in a dense brush at the top of the stem, rich in nectar; seeds - oblong, dark. The whole plant is bristly-hairy.

blooms from the end of June to August.

Habitat

Cucumber grass grows everywhere, often settles by self-sowing in vegetable gardens, like a weed. Homeland of borage - Asia Minor, coast mediterranean sea. The ancient Romans endowed it with the properties of uplifting the spirit, increasing courage and used it "to make it easier on the heart."

In France, borage grass was called "joy of the heart", "fun", "heart flower" and was widely used to flavor wines, vinegar, flowers were placed in glasses with wine and soft drinks.

Unfortunately, in our country, borage grass is a rare green crop, 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 is sown on household plots; ripened seeds crumble easily, giving a large harvest the next year.

In culture, borage grass is called "borago" and is valued as a cold-resistant plant that grows well on various soils and even in the shade. 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. It must be remembered that in dry, hot weather, the plant quickly forms a flower stem, and the leaves become rough and tasteless.

The use and beneficial properties of borage

What makes this plant stand out, besides the cucumber taste and smell? It contains vitamin C, carotene, apple and citric acid, essential oils, in flowers - a lot of sugar. 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, for heart neuroses and catarrhs ​​of the lungs. Infusions from the leaves are drunk with neurasthenia as a sedative, and infusions from flowers - as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Vitamin salads prophylactically promote metabolism, prevent inflammatory phenomena in the kidneys and intestines, relieve irritability.

In Bulgaria, it is recommended to use the infusion for edema, inflammation of the kidneys, rheumatic pains according to the following recipe: pour 2 tablespoons of borage herb 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, okroshka, soups, and also used as a side dish for meat, fish and cereal dishes, for fillings in pies, flavoring vinegar, punches, wine, tea brewing.

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 grass not as an independent medicine, and include it in the composition of various medicinal collections.