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Borage has been cultivated since at least 1440 in Castille, Spain, in
herb and ornamental gardens, and was brought to Europe by the Moors (it
originated in Aleppo, Syria). It has been grown in the New World since
1494 and is naturalized throughout Europe, North and South America, and
parts of Asia. The name "borage" comes from the Arabic name for this
plant, abu arak, "father
of sweat" because it induces sweating, which can be good if you have a
cold coming on. In the Mexican botanical medicine formulary, a
tincture for sweating consists of equal parts of red poppy petals,
borage petals, elder flowers, and violet flowers. But the Celtic name
for it, barrach,
means "man
of courage" and obviously focuses on borage's psychological effects.
Borage is also known as tailwort, bee's bread, and starflower. Barely cover the seeds of this hardy annual to
germinate in 7-14 days at room
temp, or you can direct sow them in
well cultivated soil May-June. Transplant to 12"/31cm apart to full
sun, although it can grow in partial shade. It loves clay. This plant
gets 3ft/.9m tall and 12"/31cm wide. Borage is a good companion plant
for tomatoes, squash, and strawberries. Plant borage in a bunch so the
plants can support each other
- they can flop over in windy areas. Borage gets a taproot, so is good
for breaking up previously uncultivated soils. Bees love the flowers,
which have a lot of nectar. The flowers are normally blue, but
sometimes they will be pink, even on the
same plant. An occasional plant will have white flowers. Self-seeds
when happy. General
growing info
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Borage officinalis 
Uses in Witchcraft & Magick: Courage |
Borago
officinalis
The
fresh young leaves are good for salads, although many people dislike
the fuzzy texture (and some people are sensitive to the hairs on the
bigger leaves). The leaves are good for special effects - they spark
and pop when they are burned due to their mineral content. Both the
leaves and the pretty blue flowers smell and taste like cucumber. A tea
of borage flowers and mint is especially cooling in the summer. Try
freezing the flowers in an ice cube for a nice garnish to iced tea,
especially if you have a suitor. According to folklore, if the person
drinking the tea is someone
you would like to marry, it will give them the courage to propose.:)
The flowers will keep their color if dried carefully and are nice in
pot pourri. The flowers are also a traditional garnish for summer
drinks containing alcohol. Steep dried borage and rosemary in white
wine for two weeks: "To drinketh wine imbued with the floures of borage
is to increase his countenance and bringeth courage to the weak."
You can also make a beautiful vinegar from white wine vinegar
and borage flowers (add some of the leaves for extra flavor), and the
flowers make a blue dye that turns pink with the addition of acid. It
is okay to use this herb as a condiment, but don't eat large amounts on
a regular basis, as it contains alkaloids believed to harm
the liver in large amounts - the same ones as in comfrey, although it
has
only 5% of the alkaloids comfrey does. If you have a
tender liver from past damage, don't use it. The oil of the seeds
doesn't contain this alkaloid; Alchemy Works' founder, Harold, can attest that borage seed oil is
great to add to food if you have problems with dry eyes.