Borago (borage) - application, useful properties and contraindications. Cucumber herb in folk medicine and cooking

borage grass - it's a flower annual plant originally from Syria, whose leaves smell like fresh cucumbers. Other names for borage grass: borage, borage, borago, heart flower, etc. In most cases, this plant is perceived as a weed in our country. grows almost everywhere - along roadsides, in wastelands, landfills, vegetable gardens, etc. However, in Western Europe Cucumber grass is grown as a vegetable plant, and has also been used as a folk plant since ancient times. medical device. We will find out how borage grass is useful, and whether it can harm health.

Cucumber grass is a stiff-haired plant with a stem length of up to 1 meter, which blooms with fairly large, five-petalled dark blue flowers. Flowering time - June - August. After this, a fruit is formed - an oblong tuberculate nut.

In the chemical composition of the leaves are the following substances:

• vitamin C;
• lemon acid;
• Apple acid;
• trace elements (potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.);
• mucous substances;
• tannins;
• saponins;
• tannins.

Borage flowers contain essential oil and slime.

Useful properties and use of borage (borage)

It is known that borage is used in homeopathy for the preparation various medicines, and is also part of some dietary supplements. Cucumber leaves are recommended to be added to food, which not only improves the taste of dishes, but also contributes to the following:

• improvement of digestion processes;
• normalization metabolic processes in the body;
• prevention inflammatory processes in the intestines and kidneys;
• excretion;
• sedation nervous system;
• normalization of work and strengthening of blood vessels.

The benefits of cucumber grass are not only this. Also, the plant has a mild laxative effect, has a diuretic, diaphoretic and enveloping action, helps with various types pain - rheumatic, muscular, gouty, etc.

Young cucumber grass can be used as an additive to vinaigrettes, sauces, side dishes, okroshka, cold vegetable soups, meat and fish dishes. Mature leaves can be used like spinach - stewed, boiled and fried, as well as in pickles and marinades. Flowers can be used fresh and candied as a treat, and from the roots of borage to prepare oil, which is added to cheeses, syrups, essences, cold drinks, wines.

Dishes with borage grass will be useful for women who want to lose weight. Due to its low calorie content and the ability to improve metabolic processes in the body, this plant will help you quickly get rid of extra pounds.

Also, the plant can be used as an external agent for the preparation of anti-aging folk remedies for the face - masks, lotions. Both fresh and dried young leaves are suitable for this. From a decoction prepared on the basis of leaves, you can make compresses to help relieve pain and contributing to the speedy healing of injuries and. In cosmetology, borage seed oil is used, which has a beneficial effect on the skin.

Harm and contraindications of borage

Any plant can provide not only benefits, but also harm, and borage is no exception. It should be eaten in moderation, because. long-term admission large quantities may adversely affect liver function. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this plant for more than a month - you should take short breaks.

In ancient Rome, it was believed that this plant improves morale, eliminates melancholy, helps to overcome any fear. The legendary warriors of Sparta drank a decoction of borage before battles in order to accumulate victories over the enemy. For thousands of years, this herb has not lost its extraordinary properties and is valued today no less. What is it, how to use it and how to grow it - we will learn better.

plant description

Borago (baraga) is popularly called "borage" due to the taste and aroma of its leaves, which resemble the taste and smell of fresh, but there is no botanical relationship between them. Syria is considered to be the homeland, from where the grass spread to Europe, America and Africa. This is an annual plant with a strong stem and large leaves, reaching a height of up to 100 cm. It belongs to the Borage family, which is why it is also called Borage.

From June to August, flowers with a snow-white or light purple color appear on a branched stem, sky-blue shades are less common. Flowers gather in curls, grow on long legs. The dark blue corolla is slightly longer than the calyx, which gives the flowers a special decorative effect. After the petals fall in July-August, the borago bears fruit. Fruits in the form of small tuberculate nuts are not used.

Propagated independently with the help of seeds. In southern Europe, borage has earned the status of a weed because it grows on its own and it can be difficult to remove it from the site if desired. AT North Africa cucumber grass is especially appreciated, it is grown for use in cooking, cosmetology and medicine.

Beneficial features

Interest for cooking and traditional medicine are mainly young shoots of the plant. Borage leaves contain,. There is also here, which is why in the treatment cardiovascular disease borage is especially prized. and beneficial for blood composition and bone tissue, therefore, this plant can also be used for general strengthening and healing.

The stem and foliage of borage contains a lot. Most of all in it:, resinous, and fatty acids. In cosmetology, this plant is valued for high content essential oils, which is useful for both appearance and for general health.

In addition to greenery, the flowers of this herb are also useful. They are used fresh and dried, sometimes candied for use in the confectionery industry. Borage petals also contain a lot of essential oils, their taste is mild with a slight sweetness.

Nutritional value of borage (per 100 g):

• - 3 g;
• - 1.8 g;
• – 0 g;
• calories - 21 kcal.

Among the useful properties of this plant are: anti-inflammatory effect, diaphoretic and diuretic, mild laxative. It enhances the production of adrenaline and improves the functioning of the adrenal glands.

Cucumber herb extract is part of some, for example, Trimegavital is popular, which includes borage and. Also, this herb is included in the pharmacopoeia of many European countries, its beneficial features and application spread over three continents.

The use of borage in cooking

Due to the taste and aroma of leaves and stems, borage is more used in cooking. They can replace fresh cucumber in any dish: in cold soups, sauces, salads, smoothies. To the usual taste of fresh cucumbers, a faint hint of onion is added here, which only adds spice to the dishes.

Leaves for cooking should be collected before flowering. When buds appear on the plant, the stem and foliage begin to coarsen and become covered with fine fluff. Sometimes old leaves are also used, but their taste is not so fresh, with a predominance of onion. Reviews of experienced gardeners and gardeners note that the most fragrant seven-leaf leaves are best used in the first place.

Cucumber shoots can be roasted or sautéed like other vegetable crops. Sometimes they are added to other vegetables in stews, hot borage goes well with cabbage,. This plant gives a special piquancy to meat and fish, you can cook side dishes from leaves and stems or add chopped grass to minced meat.

Flowers and leaves of borage can be dried, it will turn out good workpiece for the winter. To harvest the leaves, they need to be cut and dried in a draft so that they do not start to rot. Dried grass will be needed in winter for salads, hot and cold dishes, medicinal.

It is better to sugar flowers for the winter, for this you will need:

• borage flowers;
• - 2 tablespoons;
• - 1 tablespoon;
• powdered sugar.

Candied flowers should be immediately after they have been collected. First you should make a thick syrup from one part water and two parts sugar, cool it. Then each flower should be smeared with syrup with a soft brush and dipped in powdered sugar. For accuracy and simplicity, you can pour the powder into the salt shaker and sprinkle the petals.

Spread the finished buds on parchment and dry. The oven must be heated to 700-900 and place a baking sheet with borage in it, dry for 2-2.5 hours with the oven door open. After that, you need to check if there are any wet parts left, cool the flowers and place them in jars. Care must be taken when working with such a product, since the petals break easily.

A very beautiful and tasty preparation will turn out from the petals of borage. To do this, you need to pour honey and flowers into the jar in layers, such a sweet will last a long time, looks great on the table. You can also use sugar using the same technology, a jar of granulated sugar and flowers should be shaken periodically. In one to two weeks, flower sugar will be ready.

Benefits in medicine and cosmetology

Due to its valuable composition Borage is used in traditional medicine. Young shoots are recommended fresh and decoctions for diuretic, diaphoretic and laxative effects.

A decoction of stems and leaves has a tonic effect, which was discovered by ancient warriors. For a decoction, take a spoonful of flowers and a spoonful of stems, pour one glass of boiling water, cover and leave for 15 minutes. This tool is used for colds, to strengthen the heart muscle, improve concentration.

To replenish the vitamin reserve, it is recommended to use freshly squeezed borage juice. To do this, you need to take young juicy stems and leaves and pass through a juicer. Such fresh juice can, in case of intoxication, beriberi, accelerate recovery after infectious diseases. Fresh Juice borage and used for weight loss. For such a cocktail, take an equal amount of components and drink it twice a day.

In cosmetology, borage seed oil is very popular. It, like the stems, has an anti-inflammatory and healing effect, increases the tone of the epithelium. Such a tool is recommended for both young skin (against acne) and for the elderly (for elasticity). Borage herb oil can be bought in pharmacies, rarely in cosmetic stores.

The beneficial effect of such oil can be replaced with ordinary seeds. They can be ground in a coffee grinder, then taken as a medicine, a teaspoon per day. Such a tool will cleanse the body from the inside, which will affect the cleanliness of the skin and the beauty of the hair.

Also for external use, dried tops of borage are used. From it you can make a healing infusion. For 200 ml hot water you will need 3 tablespoons of dry Borage, this mixture must be insisted under the lid for 15-20 minutes. Then compresses (warm) are made from the infusion, they help to quickly cure skin ulcers, burns, hematomas.

Precautionary measures

The benefits and harms of borage are well studied, positive aspects he has much more. This plant can be used as a remedy for a course of no longer than 3 weeks. A large concentration of this plant overloads the liver. It is also possible to use infusions and decoctions of borage for pregnant and lactating women only with the permission of the doctor, although this herb is believed to improve lactation.

It is also better for people with diseases of the stomach and intestines to consult a doctor before using meals and medicinal products from borage. This concludes the contraindications to Borage, in small portions it is given even to children.

Growing borage

Get one useful plant very simple, planting and caring for it will not require much effort. Reproduction is carried out by seeds; for sowing, you can choose shady areas with loose soil or well-lit places. It is better not to place the borage in the sun, so it will bloom quickly, and its leaves will coarsen. After planting, the seeds need to be watered often, this will be all the care.

Borago does not require any fertilizers; during the growth period, the bushes can be spudded and freed from weeds. Abundant watering will provide lush greenery until the end of summer. You can sow borage grass in spring or for winter, it has very good frost resistance.

Borage in the garden will bring another benefit, it is recommended to plant it between or near potatoes. So the Colorado potato beetle will not touch the potato crops. Blooming borage is seen as an excellent honey plant, bees feed on nectar from it even in cloudy weather.

After the crops sprout, you can enjoy fresh herbs with a refreshing taste and aroma. If desired, you can plant Borage even in a pot for indoor plants, so in winter it will be possible to replenish vitamins and prepare a fresh salad with the “taste and benefits” of summer.

Synonym: borage, borage, borage.

A herbaceous plant with a pubescent stem and leaves, during flowering pleases the eye with decorative blue flowers. Cucumber grass not only can compete with a real cucumber because of the same smell, but also has medicinal properties: sedative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory.

Ask the experts

flower formula

In medicine

Cucumber grass is a pharmacopoeial plant in many European countries, it is part of some biologically active additives. Dishes in combination with borage are recommended by Western nutritionists for people with metabolic disorders, vascular ailments and problems. digestive system. Despite the fact that the plant is absent in the Russian pharmacopoeia, the use of borage is widespread in folk medicine and homeopathy. Cucumber grass is indicated for constipation and intestinal colic, used as depressant with neurotic disorders, insomnia. In homeopathy, borage is used to treat heart neuroses, asthenia, and depressive states.

Contraindications and side effects

Despite the beneficial properties of borage, long-term use this plant can lead to dysfunction of some organs. Cucumber grass can harm the liver. Therefore, experts do not recommend using it for more than one month. Borage is best taken in combination with various medicinal fees rather than as a standalone remedy.

In cooking

Borago has a pleasant smell fresh cucumber, has a slight salty taste. The flowers of the plant are used as a natural flavoring and coloring agent in the liquor and confectionery industries. Leaves - an ingredient for brewing a tonic drink - tea. Flowers and leaves of borage are used as seasoning for soups, salads, mushroom dishes. fresh leaves plants give a special taste to meat and fish dishes.

In other areas

Cucumber grass is considered one of the best honey plants: more than 200 kg of honey can be obtained from one hectare of area. Cucumber grass is specially planted next to fruit and vegetable crops, as it contributes to pollination and increases the yield of neighboring crops. AT chemical industry used as a dye for wool, getting a rich blue color.

Classification

Cucumber herb, Borage or Borage (lat. Borago) is a genus of flowering plants of the Borage family (lat. Boraginaceae), the only species of which is Borage medicinal (lat. Borago officinalis), an annual herbaceous plant.

Botanical description

Cucumber grass is an annual, herbaceous plant, pubescent with small hairs, reaching a height of 30-60 cm. The stem is branched, straight, ribbed, the root system is taproot with numerous lateral roots. The lower leaves are ovate, petiolate. The leaves located above the stem are sessile and differ in shape - oblong. Regardless of the location on the stem, the leaf blades are fleshy, bristly-hairy, along the edge - serrated.

The flowering period of cucumber grass falls on June - August. Blue or blue flowers pink tint, drooping, on long pedicels, are formed at the top of the stem in thyroid-paniculate inflorescences. The calyx consists of 5 sepals fused at the base. Corolla short-tubular, up to 20 mm in diameter, with five stamens. Anthers dark purple. The formula for a flower of borage is * H (5) L (5) T5P (2).

The fruit consists of four large, elongated, slightly curved, ribbed nuts of a dark brown or almost black hue. Cucumber grass seeds are small, the weight of 1000 pieces is approximately 15-18 g. In late August - early September, the seeds reach ripeness and crumble. Seeds remain viable for up to 3 years.

Spreading

Syria is the birthplace of borage. Wild-growing representatives of the genus are found in the countries of Southern Europe, Asia Minor, South America and North Africa. Borago is a weed plant, often growing in fields and wastelands. In the south of Russia, borage is found as a weed. The plant is also cultivated in household plots as an early green with a cucumber smell for food purposes.

Distribution regions on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

The medicinal raw material of borage is grass, inflorescences and seeds of the plant. Grass for harvesting is cut off during the flowering period near the ground, be sure to clear the lower, often yellowed leaves. Dry the grass in the sun, or in a well-ventilated area on racks, laying out thin layer. Store raw borage in a cool, dry room, in a tight container, no more than 1 year.

Ripened borage seeds are harvested at the end of August or September, always in dry weather and stored in paper bags.

Chemical composition

The leaves and shoots of borage contain fatty acid, resins, saponins, mucous and tannins, essential oil. In addition, borage is rich in retinol, ascorbic, silicon, malic and citric acid, nitrates of potassium, phosphorus, lithium and calcium.

Pharmacological properties

Gamma-linolenic and cislinoleic fatty acids, necessary for synthesis with anti-inflammatory action, were found in borage oil. Gamma-linolenic acid reduces the production of oxidative metabolites arachidonic acid that activate the inflammatory response.

Borage is an excellent source of Omega-6 fatty acids. Mucous substances in the composition of borage act envelopingly on the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. Due to its unique chemical composition, borage has a mild laxative, sedative, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic and diuretic effect. Tannins in the composition of borage contribute to the normalization of digestion, increase the efficiency of the body. Saponins regulate water-salt balance in the body, have a sedative, diuretic and expectorant effect.

Scientists at the University of Texas have experimentally proven that borage oil has no contraindications for use by diabetics. Patients with diabetic neuropathy regularly took cucumber oil, as a result, a decrease was observed pain symptoms, edema, relief of the course of inflammation. Also during the American clinical research it has been proven that plant oil improves the functioning of the heart muscle, normalizes high blood pressure, has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels.

Application in traditional medicine

The plant is a weed, but is often cultivated as a salad plant, as well as in medicinal purposes. In the form of seasoning, the plant increases efficiency, relieves depression, hypochondria and melancholia. Salad from fresh borage leaves is an excellent blood purifier, which is indicated for cardioneurosis, pleurisy, dermatosis.

An aqueous infusion of the leaves is popularly used to treat catarrhs ​​of the lungs, heart neurosis, neurasthenia, and headaches. Infusion of borage flowers is an effective diuretic, diaphoretic and emollient. Vitamin salads normalize metabolism, prevent inflammation in the kidneys and intestines, relieve anxiety and irritability, normalize sleep.

A decoction of borage in combination with flaxseed and Althea officinalis is used as an enveloping, anti-inflammatory and emollient for colds, diseases urinary tract, fever, rheumatic pains. A decoction of borage helps in the treatment of gastritis with low acidity stomach. The juice of the plant is effective for neurodermatitis, as well as for skin irritations.

Borage can be included in the diet when cholelithiasis, diseases vascular system, kidneys and urinary tract, with cardiac neurosis, heart attack, because active substances borage regulate metabolic processes in the body, reduce the excitability of the nervous system. Cucumber grass seeds help to maintain lactation in lactating women, contribute to its increase.

For the treatment of gout, lotions are made from the herb of the plant on sore joints.

History reference

There are suggestions that borage was brought to Spain during the Middle Ages, thanks to the Arabs. The ancient Romans also knew about the miraculous properties of the plant, they took it with them on a campaign to raise morale. Even the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) wrote about beneficial effect cucumber herb on the human body. Europeans grew it everywhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Ancient healers came up with a second name for the plant - "joy of the heart", thanks to beneficial influence cucumber grass on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. The French called this plant "heart flower", using it to flavor vinegar, wines, glasses with soft drinks were decorated with flowers. Borage came to Europe from Syria, but scientists consider this country the birthplace of borage. From Syria, the plant spread throughout the world through the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Borage was brought to Russia in the 19th century from Spain, where it was distributed as a vegetable crop.

Literature

1. Abrikosov Kh. N. et al. Cucumber herb // Dictionary-reference book of the beekeeper / Comp. Fedosov N. F .. - M .: Selkhozgiz, 1955. - S. 221.

2. Highly effective medicinal plants. Big Encyclopedia/ N. I. Maznev. - M.: Eksmo, 2012. - 608 p.

3. medicinal plants and their application. - 5th ed., revised. and. add. - M., Science and technology, 1974.

4. Dudchenko L. G., Kozyakov A. S., Krivenko V. V. Spicy-aromatic and spicy-tasting plants: a Handbook / Ed. ed. K. M. Sytnik. - K.: Naukova Dumka, 1989. - 304 p.

5. Tanfilyev G. I. Burachnik // encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

6. Encyclopedic reference book. Plant treatment. - M.: "Publishing house "ANS", 2005. - 1024 p.

Cucumber grass (borago) is an annual plant belonging to the Borage family. Borago has other names - borage, borage. Homeland plants - Syria, wild specimens are found in South America, in Asia, in Europe. On the territory of Russia, borage grows as a weed plant. Borago is loved by bees, and they collect nectar from cucumber fields even in rainy weather. The name of the herb was due to the cucumber taste and smell of the leaves.

Borage has been known since ancient times and is used in folk medicine, cooking and household. When using borage for the treatment and prevention pathological processes in the body, one should take into account what beneficial properties are inherent in the plant and whether there are contraindications for its use.

Biological description

What does borage look like:

• an adult plant reaches 1 m in height;
• has a powerful root system;
• stem thick, branched upwards;
• leaves and stem covered with hairs;
• basal and lower leaves are oval in shape with a blunt end, and the upper ones have an oblong pointed shape;
• blooms in summer blue flowers having 5 petals;
• bears fruit from July to September.

Composition and calories

Borage has been studied in the laboratory. What substances are found in the leaves of the plant:

• carotene (pigment orange color, which is converted to vitamin A);
• minerals;
• B vitamins;
• organic acids;
• mucous substances;
• vegetable glycosides;
• tannins.

The flowers of the plant contain mucous substances and essential oil. A valuable oil is extracted from the seeds, which is rich in useful fatty acids - Omega-3 and Omega-6.

The calorie content of the ground part of the plant is 21 kcal per 100 g of product. Grass contains no fats and contains 3 g of carbohydrates and about 2 g of protein. Borage oil contains 899 kcal per 100 g, like all vegetable oils.

Borage is a valuable source of vitamins A and C, which are the strongest.

Beneficial features

The ground part of the borage, as well as the oil of the annual seeds, is used in various directions - from cooking to cosmetology and alternative medicine. What is useful borage grass:

1. Vitamin C has antioxidant, hemostatic properties, removes harmful toxins, improves redox processes in the body.
2. Vitamin A stops the aging process, protects the organs of vision, improves the condition of the mucous membranes and skin.
3. Potassium normalizes work of cardio-vascular system rids the body of excess fluid improves the conduction of nerve impulses.
4. Manganese is involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels, has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system, and reduces the risk of atherosclerotic plaques.
5. Iron helps to restore the level of hemoglobin in the blood and saturates it with oxygen.
6. B vitamins accelerate metabolism, improve the state of the nervous system and immunity.
7. Borage oil contains fatty acids beneficial for the body, as well as vitamins A, E and F. The oil has a positive effect on the skin and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

It is interesting! In antiquity and during the Middle Ages, borage leaves and flowers were added to drinks for soldiers and guests. Fighters with the help of grass got rid of the feeling of fear, and borage grass cheered up visitors and relieved sadness.

Areas of use

Ground parts of borage and seed oil are used in different industries- in cosmetology and cooking, for the treatment and prevention of diseases, in the economy.

Treatment and prevention of diseases

Cucumber grass has the following effect:

• diuretic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• soothing and sedative;
• antipyretic;
• expectorant.

Borage is suitable for treatment and prevention inflammatory diseases Gastrointestinal and respiratory organs, with joint diseases. The plant is suggested to be eaten by people suffering from diseases. urinary system and liver, as well as for the outflow of bile in pathologies of the gallbladder. cucumber grass - excellent tool for prevention diabetes and diseases endocrine system normalizes blood sugar levels.

The use of borage oil is due to its beneficial properties. . The product obtained from borage seeds is used as a supplement in complex therapy for the treatment of long-term and short-term pathological conditions:

• symptoms of premenstrual tension in women;
• diseases of the musculoskeletal system associated with a lack of cartilage tissue and fragility of bones;
• hyperactivity and deterioration of memory and attention;
• skin diseases;
• unpleasant conditions characteristic of the menopause;
• hormonal imbalance;
• syndrome constant fatigue and poor resistance to stress;
• withdrawal syndrome;
• colds;
• cardiovascular pathologies.

Cosmetology

In cosmetology, borage oil is used, which is used as a skin care product. various types skin. The oil softens the skin, eliminates dryness and flaking, stops inflammation, has a thermal protective effect, and stops the aging process.

The product is suitable as a hair care product. The oil promotes hair restoration, protects them from exposure to high and low temperatures gives hair a beautiful look.

You can buy the product from manufacturers of essential oils or in pharmacies.

cooking

Cucumber grass replaces the vegetable of the same name, and is also used as a spice and for making salads. Recommendations for use:

• grass is in perfect harmony with vegetables and spices;
• fresh juices are prepared from the leaves of the plant with the addition of lemon juice;
• borage is added to drinks for a refreshing taste and aroma;
• the ground part is used for preserving vegetables;
• grass is included in recipes for culinary dishes (okroshka, salads, pizza, stuffed vegetables and poultry, pastries, desserts).

Daily use of borage grass accelerates metabolic processes, which contributes to weight loss.

Application in everyday life

Contraindications

Despite the many useful properties, borage has a number of contraindications. The plant should be used with caution by people prone to allergies. You should not eat borage and use it as a medicine during pregnancy and lactation.

The benefits and harms of borage are determined chemical composition plants. Borago may harm people with a history of liver disease. The fact is that the plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are toxic to the liver. The substance is contained in small quantities, but it is still not recommended to take the plant for more than a month.

Borage should not be used simultaneously with drugs that increase blood clotting. The plant is contraindicated in people with increased convulsive activity, with epilepsy and schizophrenia.

Very rarely, borage can provoke convulsions, headache and intestinal disorders. Usually side effects are mild and stop with the help of symptomatic treatment.

How to use borage for treatment?

For medicinal purposes, oil and leaves of borage are used. The most common recipes with borage:

• Pour boiling water over the basal leaves, chop and squeeze the juice. Mix the juice with settled water in proportions of 1: 1 and boil for several minutes. The mixture is taken 3 tablespoons up to 4 times a day for kidney pathologies. This mixture is used to treat dermatoses, as well as to heal burns and wounds.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of leaves with a glass of boiling water and leave for at least 5 hours. The infusion is taken for pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, for the treatment of arthritis and the relief of symptoms of PMS.
• 20 g freshly picked borage leaves hot water and cook for 10 minutes. The decoction is used for complex treatment gonarthrosis, gastritis, to eliminate colic and get rid of tension and anxiety.
• At nervous disorders it is suggested to drink the juice of the plant.
• For relax joint pain make compresses from a decoction of borage. Lotions should be left all night, covering the joints with a warm cloth.
• Pour boiling water over 2 teaspoons and leave for 10 minutes. Such Herb tea, which has a tonic effect, can be taken up to 3 times a day.
• Salads with borage will help with CNS disorders, improve sleep quality, and normalize metabolism.

Due to its medicinal properties, the plant was called the "heart flower", and in the Middle Ages, the herb was used to improve mood and treat sleep disorders.

Cucumber grass (borage, borage, borage) is a herbaceous annual flowering plant of the Borage family, growing in the countries of Southern Europe, Asia Minor, South America and North Africa. In the wild, grass is found in wastelands and fields in Russia, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. medicinal properties borage has been used in folk medicine since ancient times, and due to the characteristic fresh cucumber smell and taste of the leaves, it is now also cultivated as a vegetable plant.

Borage blooms in June-August, with small white or deep blue flowers drooping and collected in a brush at the top of the stem, fructifies in July-September, the fruits are oblong-shaped nuts, dark brown. In height, the plant can reach 60-100 cm, the stem is ascending or straight, hollow, pubescent and thick, branched at the top. The root of the cucumber herb is taproot, the basal leaves are large, oval or elliptical, the stem leaves are sessile, oblong-ovate, covered with whitish hard hairs.

Chemical composition

AT medicinal purposes flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds of the plant are used fresh and dry. The composition of the leaves found: ascorbic, citric, lactic and malic acids, as well as tannins and mucous substances, carotene, tannins, saponins, mineral salts (especially a lot of potassium). The flowers contain an essential oil and mucus, the seeds contain allantoin, and the seed oil contains linolenic acid (necessary for the production of prostaglandins).

The herb is collected in the summer (during flowering), dried in the sun or in well-ventilated areas, raw materials can be stored for no more than a year, because it quickly loses its medicinal properties.

Beneficial features

To healing properties cucumber herbs include: soothing, regulating metabolism, antirheumatic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, decongestant, expectorant, mild laxative, diuretic, enveloping.

Indications for use

Also in Ancient Rome flowers and leaves of grass were added to wine to warriors to raise morale before the battle, and in the Middle Ages, borage, or as it was also called "joy of the heart", was used as a means to help fight melancholy and sadness.

Currently, plant-based preparations treat lesions of the liver, gallbladder, and cardiovascular system. The herb is prescribed for catarrh of the lungs, cough, rheumatism, gout, heart neuroses, neurasthenia, skin diseases caused by metabolic disorders.

Vitamin salads from borage are recommended to prevent the development of inflammatory processes in the kidneys and intestines, reduce irritability in overly excitable people, normalization of metabolic processes. Infusions of flowers are used for colds, feverish conditions, diseases of the urinary system. Enveloping, anti-inflammatory and mild laxative property of the herb in alternative medicine used in the treatment gastrointestinal tract. With rich content mineral salts and the ability to activate the metabolism of borage is often included in various diets.

AT European countries the leaves of the plant are added to salads, vegetable soups, sauces, fish and meat dishes, marinades and pickles. Borage flowers in fresh and dried form are used in the confectionery and liquor industries.

Contraindications

Persons with liver damage should not use herbal preparations for a long time, because it contains a small amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Before using the plant, you should consult with your doctor.

Homemade Cucumber Herb Remedies

• Infusion of leaves and flowers: 10 g of leaves and 5 g of flowers in dried form, infused in a sealed container for 1 hour in 200 ml boiled water. Drink 3-4 times a day, 50 ml before meals in the treatment of fever, colds, metabolic disorders, rheumatic joint pain, heart neuroses, diseases Bladder and kidneys;
• A decoction of leaves: 20 g of leaves are poured into 250 ml of water and simmered over low heat for 10 minutes, then filtered. Take 1 tablespoon before meals 3 times a day for colitis, gastritis with low acidity, nervous disorders, colds, joint pain. Also, decoction can be used to wash the skin with rashes;
• Infusion of flowers: 5 g of flowers are brewed in 200 ml of boiling water, infused for 6 hours, then filtered. Drink 4 times a day before meals, 100 ml for inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, gastritis with low acidity, weakening of cardiac activity;
• Infusion of leaves: 10-15 g of leaves are poured into 200 ml of chilled boiled water and infused for 2 hours. Take 3-4 times a day, 100 ml for heart neurosis, fever, inflammation of the urinary system.