Introduction

Borage seed oil comes from the Borago officinalis L plant belonging to the Boraginaceae family. It is an annual herb with a long history of medicinal use dating back to ancient times. It originated in Syria, but naturalised throughout the Mediterranean region, most of Europe and North Africa. Traditionally, Borage leaves were commonly used as a medicinal tea to combat various diseases. It is used for the same medicinal purposes as evening primrose oil; skin, joint and women’s health (Evan, 2009)

The borage plant grows to approximately 60 cm in height, with hairy stems, sky blue in colour, with star-shaped flowers. While the leaves are large and oval, smell and taste similar to cucumber. Borage oil has been gaining popularity recently due to its nutritional quality and wide range of potential health benefits. After harvesting, the seeds of the Borage plant are dried and the seeds are either mechanically pressed, solvent extracted or a combination of both.

Chemical Composition

Borage oil is nature’s richest source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) containing approximately 23 g per 100 g oil. GLA is one of the volatile fatty acids which is present in just a few plant varieties and often found in their seeds.

Skin and Hair Benefits 

Atopic dermatitis is characterised by itchy, red and inflammed skin with impaired barrier function. The barrier deficits cause increase transepidermal water loss (TEWL) along with it increased permeability to irritants and allergens. There is also an increased risk of infection with Staphylococcus aureus which contributes to skin inflammation (Foster et al 2010)

Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency has been linked to atopic dermatitis. It has been hypothesised to be connected to impaired metabolism of linoleic acid into gamma linolenic acid. Studies into EFA supplementation have had highly variable results. Though evening primrose oil is often seen as a subsititute for borage and visa versa, borage oil has, in fact, two to three times more GLA than evening primrose. (Evans, 2009).

The use of borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) was reviewed by Foster et al (2010). They found that clinical trials (most were double blind controlled) into the supplementation of borage oil to treat AD have been highly varied; five studies found significant benefit, five found the effects to be insignificant and two had mixed results. This led the authors to assert that supplementation of borage oil was unlikely to have a major effect on AD symptoms but may be of benefit to people who had less severe forms of atopic dermatitis. This same study pointed to two positive studies into the topical use of borage oil in the treatment of AD.

A small double blind controlled trial looked into the effect of shirts coated with y-linolenic acid rich borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children. Thirty-two children between the ages of 1-10 were involved in the study. 16 wore shirts coated in borage oil and 16 wore shirts that were were not coated. After two weeks symptoms were assessed. The children who wore borage coated shirts showed significant improvement in itchiness, erythmia as well as a decrease in trans-epidermal water loss; there was no statistical difference in these symptoms in the control group (Kanehara et al 2007). This study suggested that the use of topical borage oil can play a major role in treating atopic dermatitis in children.

Another study looked at borage oils potential in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis (SD). SD is a chronic, recurring inflammatory skin disorder characterised by legions or plaques with varying levels of scaling and itching pruritus (itching). It is usually an inflammatory response to overproduction of the yeast Malassezia species and typically found on the scalp, chest, groin, back and axilla (armpit) - or the seborrheic areas (Borda et al 2019). One clinical study looked at the effect of borage oil in the treatment of cradle cap or SD in babies. The infants were treated with borage oil twice daily. Not only was there improvement in the areas of direct application, there were also improvements in the areas that were not treated. This indicated that the borage oil was likely absorbed through the skin and into the body where it was synthesised into proglastin. Interestingly, the effects only lasted as long as the treatment lasted and when treatment was discontinued symptoms would return. But, if treatment was maintained until the child was 7 months oil and then stopped, the effects would be long lasting and there was no relaps (Tolleson,A et al, 1993)

Other Uses

Borage oil is also used for the treatment of several disorders such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, and menopause. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body converts GLA and LA into prostaglandins, a substance that regulates immune response. As such it is used to soothe joint inflammation (DeLuca et al 1995; Calder et al, 2001).

References:

Andreassi, M.; Forleo, P.; Di Lorio, A.; Masci, S.; Abate, G. and Amerio, P. Efficacy of gamma-linolenic acid in the treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis. The Journal of International Medical Research 1997; 25: 266-74.

Calder, P.C. and Zurier, R.B. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and rheumatoid arthritis. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 2001 Mar; 4(2): 115-21.

DeLuca, P.; Rothman, D. and Zurier, R.B. Marine and botanical lipids as immunomodulatory and therapeutic agents in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America 1995 Aug; 21(3): 759-77.

Evans, W.C.. (2009). Trease and Evans' Pharmacognosy: Sixteenth Edition.; Elsevier

Foster RH, Hardy G, Alany RG. Borage oil in the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Nutrition. 2010 Jul-Aug;26(7-8):708-18. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2009.10.014. PMID: 20579590.

Borda, L.J., Perper, M., & Keri, J.E. (2019). Treatment of seborrheic dermatitis: a comprehensive review. Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 30, 158 - 169.

Kanehara, Shoko & Ohtani, Toshio & Uede, Koji & Furukawa, Fukumi. (2008). Clinical effects of undershirts coated with borage oil on children with atopic dermatitis: A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The Journal of dermatology. 34. 811-5. 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2007.00391.x.

Tolleson,A., and Frithz,A. 1993. Borage oil: an effective new treatment for infantile seborrheic dermatitis. Brit. J. Dermatol. 129:95