Wizard of Vitamins

Borage Oil Vitamin

What is Borage Oil?

Borage oil is derived from the seeds of the borage (Borago officinalis) plant, a large plant with blue, star-shaped flowers found throughout Europe and North Africa and naturalized to North America.

Borage Oil in Diets

Borage oil is found primarily in supplements. Its presumed active ingredient, GLA, can also be found in black currant seed oil and evening primrose oil supplements. However, it is not known whether the effects of these three oils in the body, are the same.

Borage Oil Medicinal Treatments

Rheumatoid arthritis Eczema Infantile seborrheic dermatitis (topical)

Known Consequences of Borage Oil Deficiency

Many people in Western societies may be at least partially GLA-deficient as a result of aging, glucose intolerance, dietary fat intake, and other problems, though the exact incidence of deficiency remains unknown. People with deficiencies benefit from supplemental GLA intake from borage oil, black currant seed oil, or evening primrose oil. Those with premenstrual syndrome, diabetes, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, tardive dyskinesia, eczema, and other skin conditions may have a metabolic block that interferes with the body’s ability to make GLA. However, most clinical trials supplementing GLA for these conditions has used evening primrose oil, and not borage oil.

Borage Oil Recommended Dosages

For the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, the amounts of GLA from borage used in successful double-blind trials were 1.4–2.8 grams daily for at least two months. Although 360 mg of GLA daily from borage oil has been used to treat people with eczema, controlled research has not supported its use for this condition. Topically, 0.5 ml of borage oil may be applied to areas of seborrhea daily for two weeks, and then three times a week until the condition is stable.

Borage Oil Side Effects

Borageseeds contain small amounts of liver toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). However, testing has not demonstrated the presence of the alkaloid in the seed oil. Most commercially available borage seed oil is, therefore, likely to be PA-free and presents no risk of PA toxicity. Minor side effects from borage oil use can include bloating, nausea, indigestion, and headache. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with borage oil.