Borago (borage) - application, useful properties and contraindications. Cucumber grass

From time immemorial, people have been using the "gifts of nature" to cure many diseases. Almost any plant has a whole arsenal of healing properties, and borage, or common borage, is no exception. borage grass- annual herbaceous plant borage family, which reaches a height of 50 centimeters. The stem of the plant is covered with fluff, thick with branching.

The leaves are entire, finely serrated along the edges. The leaves, which are located below, are much larger than the upper ones, have an ovoid shape. And the lower ones, in turn, are oval. As for the flowers, they are somewhat drooping, located at the tips of the stems. The flowers are not single, collected in inflorescences, have a blue color. The plant has a cucumber smell, which is why it was named so.

The flowering of borage occurs in May-August. But if you grow it in a summer cottage or garden, then it blooms, as a rule, until the first frost.

The fruits of the plant are nuts of an oblong shape, brownish in color. July-September is the time of fruit ripening.

There are many plants healing properties which not everyone knows. It's the same with cucumber grass. Considering it an ordinary weed that prevents the crop from growing, the housewives simply get rid of it.

Those people who know about the healing properties of this herb, on the contrary, breed the plant. Many even grow it as an early green. The plant is unpretentious, takes root on almost any soil. More common in the wastelands of the Caucasus, Crimea and Central Asia.

In order to use borage for medicinal purposes, you need to know how to properly collect and harvest it. After all, the plant needs some time to gain those useful properties for which it is so valued. If you start collecting earlier or, conversely, later, then it is not a fact that it will have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of substances necessary to treat a particular ailment.

Almost all parts of borage have wide application in medicine. The grass must be cut during the flowering period, and at the very root.
As for the inflorescences, they are collected at the very beginning of flowering. But the seeds - after ripening, as a rule, in August.
Drying of any part of the plant should take place either under a canopy or in a well-ventilated area.

Beneficial features

The plant can cure many ailments and problems. Thanks to the healing properties of borage, you can get rid of:

kidney diseases;
diseases of the heart vascular system;
disorders of the central nervous system, depression;
neurodermatitis and different kind skin irritations;
beriberi;
insomnia;
rheumatism.

In addition, inflorescences and leaves are used. Women with impaired menstrual cycle It is also recommended to use borage herbs.

Medicines from borage can provide:

soothing;
diaphoretic;
anti-inflammatory;
laxative;
regulating metabolic processes;
enveloping;
antirheumatic effect.

Chemical composition

Borage leaves contain: vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, tannin, carotene, mucous substances, organic acids (citric, malic, lactic and ascorbic), tannins. Flowers have large quantity essential oils. Seeds, in turn, are the source fatty oils. In the "rudiments" of the seeds, a substance was found - allantoin, and in the basal parts - bornesite alcohol.

Indications for use and recipes

With the help of medicines from borage, many diseases can be cured. But before using this or that drug in without fail consult with your doctor so as not to aggravate the situation.

1. This tool helps to normalize metabolism and reduce the excitability of the central nervous system. To prepare it, you will need inflorescences and leaves of the plant. After the raw material is ready for use (after drying), grind it and pour one spoon into a glass boiled water. The product should be infused until completely cooled. Ready infusion must be divided into several doses, consumed throughout the day.

2. The following infusion can be used as a sedative, as well as for the treatment of rheumatism, inflammation of the kidneys, skin ailments. Take the flowers and grass of the plant, grind and pour a couple of tablespoons of raw materials with a glass of boiled water, then leave to infuse for six hours. Strain and consume two tablespoons five times a day, half an hour before meals. The duration of the course is two weeks.

The same infusion will help, various kinds of lesions of the organs of the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract.

3. Effective remedy for treatment inflammatory processes v genitourinary system, gastritis with low acidity, diseases of cardio-vascular system. To prepare the infusion, take five grams of pre-dried flowers, and pour 200 milliliters of boiled water, then leave to infuse for five hours. Take 100 ml four times a day before meals.

4. This infusion will help get rid of colds, inflammation of the kidneys, heart neuroses. Take ten grams of dried and chopped borage leaves and pour 200 ml of cooled boiled water. Let it brew for two hours, then strain and take 100 ml before each meal.

Preparation of a healing decoction

Take 20 grams of plant leaves, fill with water and put on the stove. Boil over low heat for ten minutes, then strain. Consume one tablespoon three times a day. This decoction helps to heal nervous disorders, gastritis with low acidity, pain in the joints. If you lubricate problem areas with this decoction skin, you can get rid of a rash of various origins in the shortest possible time.

Fresh juices from borage: preparation and use

First you need to thoroughly rinse the leaves and stems of the plant, then place the ingredients in a juicer. Juice can be used for beriberi, for detoxification.

In addition, freshly squeezed juice contributes to blood pressure normalization and regulation of glucose levels in diabetes.

Contraindications

Long-term use of any particular remedy sooner or later can lead to some problems. It is very important to know the measure and not to overdo it with the use of borage medicines. The fact is that the prolonged use of borage, even despite the fact that it natural medicines may contribute to liver dysfunction.

It is for this reason that the course of treatment with decoctions or infusions of borage should not exceed four weeks.

Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - before winter or early spring.
Bloom: in June-July.
Lighting: bright sunlight.
The soil: fertile, loose, moist, neutral reaction.
Watering: only during dry periods.
Top dressing: when growing on poor soils, it is advisable to introduce a complex mineral fertilizer in liquid form into the soil 2-3 times per season.
Reproduction: seed.
Diseases: leaf spot.
Pests: whiteflies.
Properties: the plant has medicinal properties.

Read more about growing borage grass below.

Cucumber grass - description

Herb borage officinalis is an annual stiff-haired plant from 60 to 100 cm high with a taproot, a thick straight or ascending ribbed stem, hollow inside and branching in the upper part. The lower stem and basal leaves of the plant with a rounded apex are oval or elliptical in shape, and the upper stem leaves are oblong-ovate, broadly linear and amplexicaul. Borage leaves, like the stems, are covered with whitish styloid hairs. Dark- blue flowers cucumber herbs are located on long pedicels, densely covered with protruding bristles, and collected in curls, forming a corymbose panicle. Borage fruits are oblong-ovate tuberculate and wrinkled nuts up to 5 mm long. Seeds ripening in nuts remain viable for up to three years and easily spill onto the ground when ripe.

Growing borage in the garden

Planting cucumber grass

Growing borage is not difficult: it grows quickly, has an enviable frost resistance, and propagates so easily by self-sowing that it can be very difficult to remove it from the site. Planting borage and caring for this unpretentious plant does not contain any subtleties.

In the photo: Growing borage or borage

Borage seeds are sown before winter or early spring, but if you do not need medicinal raw materials, but only tender greens, you can sow borage all summer every two weeks.

Cucumber grass grows best on fertile, loose, well-moistened neutral soils, which are freed from weeds before sowing and fertilized for digging with organic matter at the rate of 5-6 kg per m².

Borage seeds are planted when sown to a depth of 1-2 cm, and the rows are placed at a distance of 40-45 cm from each other. When shoots appear, they are thinned out in increments of 15-20 cm.

Caring for borage

Borage care consists of watering the site during a dry season, weeding and loosening the soil between the rows. If you are growing borage for ornamental purposes, you need to remove wilted flowers and faded shoots to prolong the flowering period. When growing borage on poor soils you can add a universal mineral fertilizer to the soil in the form of a solution. The growing season of borage grass is from 70 to 80 days.

Collection and storage of borage

For medicinal purposes, use grass, flowers and seeds of borage. Leaves can be harvested during flowering: they are cut into thin strips, laid out in a single layer on cloth or paper and dried in the shade in the air or in a room with good ventilation. When using a dryer, set the temperature no higher than 40 ˚C.

Collected borage flowers are poured sugar syrup or honey and stored in the refrigerator, but you can dry and store them like leaves.

Cucumber seeds are harvested when the fruits become Brown color. They are laid out in one layer on paper or cloth, ripened and dried under the same conditions as grass or borage flowers. Dry fruits are threshed.

Store raw borage in a dry and cool place no more than a year.

Types and varieties of borage

most popular borage vegetable varieties are:

Vladykinskoe Semko: this plant has large, oval, heavily hairy leaves, large blue flowers, and a strong cucumber scent;
Dwarf- resistant to low temperatures, a variety with a branched stem and a strong cucumber aroma.

The April, Brook and Okroshka varieties are also in demand among gardeners. decorative borage presented in two varieties:

Alba- a plant with white flowers;
Variegata- variegated form of borage.

Properties of borage (borage) - harm and benefit

Useful properties of borage

The medicinal properties of borage have been known for a long time. In the past, borage leaves were used to treat gout, arthritic arthritis, and skin diseases caused by metabolic disorders. The composition of the plant includes resins, carotene, ascorbic, malic and citric acid, oil, potassium and calcium.

In the photo: How borage blooms in the garden

Borage is a diaphoretic, enveloping, sedative, mild laxative and diuretic. Borage oil, taken orally, normalizes the metabolism in the body, stimulates immune system and improve emotional condition, enhancing the production of hormones of joy. This drug is effective for stomach ulcers and gastritis. Borage contains hormones that have a beneficial effect on the work of the adrenal glands, which is necessary after taking steroids. When used externally, the oil helps rapid healing wounds.

In cosmetology, borage oil is used to care for problematic and sensitive facial skin: the drug increases the ability of the epidermis to retain moisture. Borage oil is included in anti-cellulite creams to eliminate stretch marks on the skin, it is also used for the production of anti-aging cosmetics designed to combat premature aging, dryness and flabbiness of the skin.

In addition to oil, there are dosage forms borage, as an infusion of flowers, an infusion of herbs and a cold infusion of leaves.

The nutritional qualities of borage are most widely used in American cuisine. The inhabitants of the New World use not only the leaves, but also the flowers of the plant for food: the leaves are added to salads, combining them with spinach, lettuce leaves, onions and cucumbers, and the flowers are a natural flavoring of punch and soft drinks. Borage flowers are also eaten in candied form, like candied fruits, and dried flowers are added to bakery products and confectionery.

Cucumber grass - contraindications

Borage preparations are not recommended to be used for more than one month, as this can lead to liver problems. You can not eat borage for those who suffer from diseases of this organ or have an individual intolerance to borage.

If you dream of turning to grow on your site not only ornamental plants, but also medicinal, then take note of the borage plant. The second name of this plant is borage. Young leaves of borage have an amazing smell of fresh cucumber. The healing properties of borage have been known since the Middle Ages. The knights had a tradition to enter the battlefield only after drinking a cup of tea from borage. They also decorated their armor with this plant, believing that it would bring good luck. Charming annual borago will become a real natural pantry, which is full of useful properties.

Borago borage. plant description

Borago is often called borage, borage, borage.
The borage plant belongs to the Burachnikov family.
Syria is considered the birthplace of borage grass. The plant is widely distributed as a weed in countries North Africa, Asia Minor, Southern Europe, South America.
Borago is a herbaceous annual plant that can reach 1 m in height.
The stalk of borage is branched and straight. A feature of this plant is the presence of hard "hairs" that cover almost the entire plant.
The root system of borage is taproot with numerous lateral roots.
Cucumber leaves vary slightly in shape depending on where they are located. The basal leaves are oval in shape, the leaves at the top are more obtuse, the leaves on the stem are ovate and more elongated. The leaves are covered with exactly the same stiff "hairs" as the stem.
Cucumber herb flowers are painted in a beautiful blue color with a pink tint. They are collected in thyroid-paniculate inflorescences at the very top of the stem. The flower itself consists of 5 sepals.
The fruit of borage is a ribbed brown nut. It contains about 1000 small seeds that fall to the ground after the fruit ripens.
The active phase of flowering borage falls on summer season- from June to August.

Borago borage. Historical information

Despite the fact that today many people underestimate borage, considering it a weed, in ancient descriptions you can find many references to its beneficial properties and methods of application.

V Ancient Rome cucumber grass was given special importance. Warriors took this plant with them on campaigns in order to raise their strength of mind and courage.
The ancient healers called the borage herb "the joy of the heart" because of its amazingly healing effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
In France, borage was also called the "heart flower", which was considered a powerful sedative.
Also in France, it was customary to use borage flowers to flavor wines, vinegar, and to decorate dishes.
Syria is considered the birthplace of borage, from where the plant spread throughout Europe through the Mediterranean countries.
In Russia, the borage plant appeared only in the 19th century.

Borago is a borage herb. Beneficial features

Cucumber grass has many beneficial properties due to its rich composition. Among the most valuable substances can be listed:

saponins;
tannins;
fatty acid;
mucous substances;
essential oil;
retinol;
vitamin C;
Apple acid;
silicic acid;
lemon acid;
tannins;
phosphorus;
lithium;
calcium;
potassium.

As you can see, the chemical composition of the plant is impressive. You can grow borage grass on the site not only for decorative purposes, but also for medicinal use. Among the useful properties of borage are the following:

fatty acids in borage can have an active anti-inflammatory effect;
borage enriches the human body with omega-6 acids and other beneficial trace elements;
v traditional medicine the beneficial effects of borage on gastrointestinal tract person. Mucous substances, which in large numbers contained in the plant, envelop the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines;
borage is widely used as a natural laxative and mild diuretic;
decoctions and teas from borage are widely used as sedatives. People who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, nervousness can count on a wonderful effect from taking folk remedies based on borage;
decoctions and infusions of borage will be useful to people who suffer from digestive disorders, due to the high concentration of tannins;
due to the high concentration of saponins in the chemical composition, borage also has an expectorant effect;
people suffering diabetes, obese without fear can use borage oil, which is not contraindicated for them;
the excellent anti-inflammatory effect of borage is complemented by a mild analgesic effect and the ability to relieve swelling;
people who suffer arterial hypertension, problems with blood vessels, can actively use traditional medicine with borage in the composition;
borage is often used to treat colds as an anti-inflammatory agent;
borage is also popular in the treatment various problems with skin - neurodermatitis, allergic rashes;
borage has a powerful activating effect on metabolic processes in the body;
very often you can find borage in traditional medicine recipes for the treatment of gout.

Despite the fact that borage is a very valuable plant for health, it should be used with caution. Very rarely this plant can cause allergic reaction at the body. A long-term use taking this herb by mouth can cause liver problems.

The use of borage in cooking

In some countries, borage was originally grown exclusively for food use. young plant It has a pleasant and fresh aroma of cucumber, and it can taste like onions. Borago is used to make vegetable salads, cold summer soups.
Salads with young leaves of borage have won the greatest popularity. A prerequisite should be that the leaves must be used young. Later leaves also retain their aroma and taste, but become slightly stiffer and covered with "hairs".
The roots of borage, collected in autumn, are also eaten. They add an unsurpassed aroma to wines, vinegar, cheeses, sour cream, syrups, etc.
Cucumber grass is often used as a spice. It is added to meat and fish dishes, soups.
Remarkable "companions" in the salad for borage are white cabbage, celery, various types of lettuce.
Fresh leaves and stalks of borage can also be served as an independent side dish if stewed in a frying pan with a little oil.
Housewives often use borage to make summer homemade lemonades, drinks that are great to quench thirst in the heat.

Experienced housewives will find a huge number of recipes with borage in the composition. Some of the most popular dishes include:

borage salad "Summer". Rinse the young leaves of borage herb thoroughly under running water, dry, chop or tear into pieces with your hands. Serve with dressing from olive oil, salt and black pepper. Salad will be a great addition to meat or fish dishes;
Cucumber salad "Spring". For the preparation of unusually healthy and delicious salad you will need a few Jerusalem artichoke tubers, fresh carrot, cucumber grass. All components can be taken in the ratio you need. Someone likes Jerusalem artichoke more, and someone prefers salads with great content carrots. Grind the ingredients on a grater, cut the borage leaves with a knife. Mix the salad and season with a little oil, salt and pepper;
stewed cucumber herb. Pick a few young plants, rinse them well under running water, cut or tear into pieces with your hands. Cucumber grass must first be lightly fried in a small amount of oil, and then stewed in salted water for a couple of minutes. Rub the resulting stew through a sieve and serve with cream sauce or a piece of butter;
candied borage flowers. Their borage plants can make an exotic dessert with which you can surprise your guests and delight loved ones. Pour a layer of sugar into an earthenware dish, put borage flowers on top, and then sprinkle with sugar again. Store in a dark place;
refreshing lemonade. For delicious and healthy drink you will need borage leaves, lemon balm leaves, mint, half a lemon. Mix all the ingredients in a blender, pour a few glasses of cold water. Strain the lemonade through a fine sieve. For a sweeter drink, use maple syrup. Serve lemonade in tall glasses with ice.

The use of borage in cosmetology

Borage grass is widely used in cosmetology. This component can often be found in homemade recipes for masks, tonics, creams, etc. What valuable substance found in borage, which is often considered a common weed? It's all about the huge concentration of fatty acids:

linoleic acid;
gamma linolenic;
alpha linolenic;
oleic.

Finding another such affordable source of saturated fatty acids is quite difficult. This feature of borage grass makes it a versatile and main ingredient in skin care products. On our skin, borage can have the following effects:

moisturizing effect. Borago will undoubtedly benefit dry and dehydrated skin;
smoothing effect. Means with borage grass in the composition are able to even out small bumps on the skin, wrinkles, make skin color more uniform;
restorative effect. Cucumber grass has a healing and healing effect on the skin after cosmetic procedures;
improvement metabolic processes in the skin. Owners of oily problematic skin immediately notice the elimination of oily sheen, reduction of acne, blackheads;
lifting effect. Cucumber grass is known for its rejuvenating effect, giving the skin elasticity.

Natural borage oil can be purchased at cosmetic stores or pharmacies. Like any oil, it should be sold in a dark glass bottle. The shelf life of such a product is short - about 2 months. Borage oil can be used to prepare the following cosmetic recipes:

Healing oil to restore very dry hand skin. Mix chamomile, borage and pine nuts in equal proportions, slightly warm them up and rub them into the skin of the hands;
nourishing oil bath You will need all the same components as in previous recipe. But this time, the oil should not be rubbed into the skin of the hands, but immersed in his hands. Of course, the proportions of oil will need to be increased;
rejuvenating oil compresses. In order to get an excellent lifting effect, mix borage, rosehip, jojoba oil in equal amounts. Add a few drops of ylang-ylang and lavender essential oils to the resulting mixture. The resulting mixture can simply be rubbed into the skin every evening, or you can make compresses, fabric face masks.

The use of borage in agriculture

Together with the decorative function, borage also has practical benefits:

gardeners-beekeepers will be delighted with the fact that after planting borage grass, the number of bees has increased. This grass is a good honey plant, attracting the "attention" of bees at a long distance;
due to the fact that borage grows on your site, you will notice an increase in yield with fruit trees and shrubs. Cucumber grass helps in their pollination by bees;
many summer residents use borage to fight the Colorado potato beetle, a well-known potato pest.

Borago is a borage herb. Photo

Borago is a borage herb. Landing and care

Choosing a place for landing borage

borage in wild nature grows near roadsides, vegetable gardens, etc. If you want to achieve maximum decorativeness in this plant and use it for food, then you should take care of choosing a place for planting it.

One of the most the best places planting borago will be the place where potatoes, tomatoes or legumes grew.
Borago should not be grown in too sunny areas, let it be a place under the spreading crowns of trees, near buildings, fences, which will create a shadow. Growing borage at home, you can not care about lighting at all. This plant adapts to growth even in constant shade.
Cucumber grass is not demanding on the composition of the soil. But on fertile soils, it achieves excellent taste and good chemical composition, for which it is so valued.
When choosing a place to plant borage, prepare for the fact that you will have to limit its growth. The plant reproduces rapidly by self-sowing on next year. To prevent the borage from filling the adjacent growth space of other plants, remove the fruit with seeds until it ripens.

Cucumber grass - borage. Which variety is better

Of course, borage can often be found in the wild. But only cultivated varieties have excellent taste and aroma, as well as a rich composition. Borago, or borage, can be bought at almost any major seed store. For self-growing borage in open field or at home, most often choose one of the following varieties:

Vladykinskoye Semko;
April;
Okroshka;
Brook;
Dwarf.

The most cold-resistant is the Gnome variety, and the Vladykinskoe Semko variety is famous for its large flowers and leaves. It is he who is chosen by most gardeners for growing on the site. Finding borage, or borage, seeds is not difficult.

Cucumber grass - borage. cultivation

Even a beginner can cope with the agricultural technology of growing borage. First you need to say about the time of planting this plant. Borago is a cold-resistant plant. Some gardeners even plant it before the onset of winter. But more popular time is early spring. It is in March or early April that it is worth starting to prepare for planting a borage. If you sow borage again in August, you will get another harvest and a beautiful flowering of this plant.

It will not be superfluous to prepare the soil for planting borage in the fall. Superphosphate and potassium salt are added under digging.
In spring, it is also worth digging up the soil, loosening it well and adding ammonium nitrate.
Furrows are made in the soil about 3 cm deep. It is advisable to leave a gap of 8-10 cm between the seeds. If you do not, then you will have to remove the extra bushes. The minimum distance between rows is 35-40 cm.
If you are afraid of frost or want to achieve earlier germination of borage, then the bed can be covered with a film.
After about 7 days, the first shoots will appear.

Borage care

Caring for cucumber grass will not present any difficulties even for novice gardeners. Among the minimum actions that you have to perform, you can highlight:

not too abundant, but regular watering. Although the plant is drought-resistant, it is possible to achieve juicy and fleshy greens only by regularly watering it;
weed removal. If you grow borage for ornamental purposes, then weeds will only spoil appearance. You need to get rid of them;
thinning borage. The distance you need to leave between borage bushes depends on the purpose for which you grow it. If you are growing borage for lush greenery, then leave a distance of about 10 cm between plants. If you are growing borage for ornamental purposes and for seeds, then the distance should be about 45-60 cm;
before the start of the flowering period, you can feed the borage grass with any organic fertilizer.

How and when to harvest borage

About a month after the appearance of the first sprouts, it is already possible to harvest the first harvest of borage.
The most delicious, juicy, fragrant are the very first leaves, which have already reached 5-7 cm in length.
If you "tighten" with the harvest, the leaves will become more rigid, covered with a dense layer of "edge", will not be so fragrant.
The harvest of borage is similar to the harvest of spinach.
If the collected borage leaves are put in wooden boxes, then they taste qualities can be kept for several days. Store these boxes in a cool place.
Borage seeds are harvested when the fruits have turned brown. They are laid out on cloth or paper, where they ripen and dry. Then these fruits will need to be threshed.

Why grow borage in a greenhouse

Very often, experienced gardeners plant borage in greenhouses. Why do they do it? The thing is that borage grass is a magnificent honey plant that attracts bees. Grass is planted in a greenhouse with cucumbers and tomatoes for better pollination. Borage is sown in a greenhouse quite chaotically. The plant also has the ability to displace weeds, which is also very useful.

Borago is a borage herb. Growing at home

If you dream of a mini-garden on the windowsill, then the borage plant will be a great helper in enriching your diet with fragrant greens all year round. Follow these recommendations when growing borage in an apartment:

The undoubted advantage of growing borage at home is that the plant is not at all capricious in terms of lighting and temperature. It can be grown both in a bright window and in a shady one. But keep in mind that under the direct sunbeams leaves quickly become stiff;
choose suitable containers for sowing seeds. These can be long containers, boxes or flower pots;
An excellent filling for containers will be ready-made soil for growing roses, which can be bought at the store. If you are preparing a nutritious earthen mixture yourself, then mix soddy soil and humus. It is also worth adding some sand;
for planting seeds on the surface of the earth, furrows are made at a distance of about 5 cm from each other;
there is no need to bury borage seeds. The depth of the furrow is 1.5-2 cm.

The first shoots will please you in 5-7 days. The plant responds positively to regular feeding.

Cucumber grass is one of the most unpretentious plants on the site, but many do not even know about its beneficial properties, mistaking borage for a weed. Once tasting the summer vegetable salad from the succulent leaves of this plant, you will not be able to deny yourself the pleasure of growing borage on your site.

Cucumbers, of course, are almost indispensable vegetables for us. They are also in fresh are good, and few people will refuse salted or pickled crispy cucumber. However, in this article we will talk not about cucumbers at all, but about their interesting substitute - cucumber grass.

By the way, you can still argue what was introduced into the culture earlier: cucumbers or borage. Most likely, the second, since already the ancient Romans endowed it with extraordinary properties to cheer up (they had not yet heard of cucumbers in Ancient Rome at that time). But borage grass in ancient times was known as a source of vigor and fearlessness. For example, the Mongols did not go on military campaigns without it; Roman soldiers took borage before battles, and the crusaders later widely used drinks infused with borage leaves and flowers.

And during the time of Charlemagne, this unusual plant even received a special mention in the instructions for gardeners. Cucumber grass "...should be bred in gardens" with the wish: "Let it be merrily used in food and drink." And all why? Yes, because it is worth putting young juicy leaves of borage into the salad, and a very obvious imitation is created: it seems - not grass in the salad, but fresh cucumbers both in taste and smell. Moreover, borage herb smells like cucumbers stronger than the cucumbers themselves. It is worth plucking a fleshy leaf of this bristly and completely unfriendly-looking grass, and a pleasant cucumber smell will blow over you. For this, they call the spicy vegetable borage, or borage, although official name of this herb - borage. A pinch or two of chopped borage leaves, put in an ordinary vegetable salad, flavors it with such an appetizing smell that the dish turns out to be unusually attractive.

Magic medicine for courage and mood

Even in ancient times, the unusual properties of this prickly-fluffy grass were noticed, which helped with heart weakness, added courage and strength, and improved mood. By the way, today only two of the plants growing in our latitudes have the ability to improve mood - this is the already mentioned borage and lemon balm. Both, as they say in ancient herbalists, "rejoice the soul."

Naturally, this plant has long been widely used in folk medicine. The herb and flowers are used as an enveloping, emollient, diaphoretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, sedative for colds, swelling, headaches and nervous diseases. The infusion is drunk at various skin diseases to improve metabolism. In addition, borago regulates the activity of the heart, restoring its rhythms, improves the condition of neuroses and relieves rheumatic pains. In homeopathy, borage is recommended for heart neurosis, depressive states and to raise the general tone of the body. Recommended borage and in diet food- with diseases of the kidneys, liver, gallbladder, vascular system, myocardial infarction.

How to use: take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flowers or 3 tbsp. spoons of herbs for 1 cup of boiling water; insist until cool; strain. Drink 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day. With daily use, the course of treatment is 3-4 weeks. For skin diseases, decoctions of herbs can also be used in the form of baths and compresses.

Plant features

Borago is an annual plant 30-60 cm high, densely covered with hairs, on the leaves they look like a white fluff, and on the stem the hairs are coarser. The lower leaves are very large and wrinkled under normal care, while the upper leaves are much smaller. Borage flowers are also unusual: large, blue or blue with a pinkish tint, very fragrant and attracting a lot of beneficial insects, and therefore borage is considered a very good honey plant. Yes, and she is able to decorate any area, especially since the grass blooms for a long time. True, there is one caveat: if you do not control the collection of seeds, then next year the borage will delight you with seedlings throughout the site. Although this is not critical, since these shoots can be quickly collected for a spring salad. Seed germination persists for 2-3 years. The total growing season from germination of borage to seed production is approximately 70-80 days.

A little about agricultural technology

This plant does not require special care and is generally very unpretentious (unlike cucumbers, which need to be patronized all season). Even with the slightest care, borago produces lush greenery and juicy, tender shoots. Let us briefly dwell on the main agrotechnical features of this interesting plant:

It grows on various soils, but can only give a good harvest on light and fertile lands. As its predecessor, there can be any garden crop under which fresh manure was applied.
Borago is extremely cold-resistant, the first shoots appear immediately after the soil thaws.
Very hygrophilous. With a lack of moisture, the leaves coarsen and become tasteless, and the plant itself blooms ahead of time. Flowering can be delayed by constant and abundant watering right from the moment the seeds are sown.
The plant is photophilous, but is able to give a good harvest even with a little shading. Moreover, in hot weather, crops should be carried out only in partial shade, since in the sun the borage quickly throws out flower stems and coarsens.
Borago is intended for outdoor cultivation, but can be grown in the winter-spring period on the windowsill in order to obtain early vitamin production.
Propagated by seeds. Both early spring sowing and sowing before winter, as well as sowing during the entire growing season are possible. If the goal is to obtain flowering plants, then they need to allocate a sufficient feeding area (the distance between plants is 45-55 cm), and early sowing is also needed. To obtain fresh greens, seeds are sown much thicker (15-20 cm between plants) throughout the growing season, approximately every 15-18 days, starting in early spring and ending in late autumn. An even more compact planting is also possible, followed by thinning - the uprooted plants are used for food.
Borage does not require any special care. It is enough to water in a timely manner, loosen the plantings (it is better to simply mulch the soil between plants) and remove weeds.

Cleaning is not far off

One of the nice features of this amazing plant is, probably, that it can be harvested even at the stage of cotyledon leaves and the appearance of the first leaf. Such plants are harvested entirely. By the way, it is then that borage leaves are the most tender and tasty, and do not require any cooking. Cucumber grass leaves can be collected before the appearance of the flower stalk, but not later, since when the peduncles are thrown out, they become very coarse.

For the winter, for culinary needs, mainly flowers are harvested. Dry them in the usual way. As for drying the leaves, it all depends on the goals that you are pursuing. If the goal is to get vitamin supplements for winter dishes or medicinal raw materials, then you can expend effort and stock up required amount raw materials. Only drying this plant will be difficult, because it is too fleshy and contains a lot of water. Moreover, perhaps the only way to dry the leaves is to first cut them into very thin strips and spread all this raw material in an almost transparent layer in the wind or draft, but in the shade. Attempts to dry whole leaves will fail, as they will simply rot. If you want to save borage for the winter as an aromatic condiment, then you will definitely have to say goodbye to this idea, because, unfortunately, during the drying process, borage (with the exception of flowers) loses its unique aroma almost completely.

Cooking recipes

In the Middle Ages, borage became so popular that it was added to so many dishes. Borage was eaten salted or candied, in seasonings and botvinyas. His flowers "... were used everywhere to lighten the heart, worries disappeared, the state of the spirit rose." Moreover, in France, this herb was called the "joy of the heart" or "heart flower" and was widely used to flavor wines and vinegar, while the flowers were added to glasses with wine and soft drinks.

Today, borage is especially popular in the United States and European countries. As a rule, young leaves of this plant are used as food. They are added to various salads (from cucumbers, cabbage, spinach, celery with onions, lettuce), vinaigrette, and simply replace it with more whimsical greens in the culture, in particular, spinach. In addition, borage herb is stewed, used as a side dish for meat, added to okroshka, soups, sauces and marinades, to fried fish and even prepare a filling for pies from it.

Fresh flowers, which have a sweet honey taste, flavor refreshing drinks such as punch and punch, and also use them to flavor beer, wine, tinctures, table vinegar. Fresh flowers are also added to salads, and dried ones are flavored with bakery and confectionery products. Flowers are also used in candied form. In our country, the plant is usually put in salads, okroshka, mushroom soup and cold borscht. Let's focus on a few simple recipes using borage.

"Warm" salad

Finely chop the greens - borage, dill, parsley, green onion- mix it with warm mashed potatoes and top it with sour cream. Add salt to taste. This salad is delicious served warm. When cooling, the taste of the salad deteriorates.

Salad with horseradish

Finely chopped cucumber grass is mixed with boiled potatoes cut into slices, sprinkled with grated horseradish or a little horseradish dressing is added. Then pour over sour cream and salt to taste.

Garden cress and cheese salad

They take equally borage and garden cress, add cheese grated on a coarse grater (about half of the total volume of grass) and mashed boiled egg, pour the salad with sour cream and salt to taste.

soup with borage

In boiling chicken bouillon put the potatoes green pea, carrots, nettles, green onions and cook until tender. Add spices to taste. Then add finely chopped cucumber herb and boiled egg, serve with sour cream on the table.

Svetlana Shlyakhtina, Yekaterinburg

Cucumber grass (borage, borage, borage) is an annual herbaceous plant of the Borage family. Borago has hairy stems and leaves and beautiful blue flowers. This plant is used in ornamental floriculture, as well as in cooking as an early herb and folk medicine, as it has anti-inflammatory, sedative and diuretic properties.

Procurement of medicinal raw materials

Herb with inflorescences and borage seeds are used as medicinal raw materials. Grass is harvested during the flowering period of the plant, cutting off the stems below, right at the ground. Next, the stems are cleaned of the lower leaves and dried in a well-ventilated area or directly in the sun. Store harvested grass in a cool, dry place for no longer than a year.
Also, borage grass can be prepared for the future by freezing.
Cucumber grass seeds are harvested as they ripen in late summer and early autumn in dry weather.

Composition and application

The shoots and leaves of borage are rich in: saponins, tannins, vitamin C, carotene, potassium, phosphorus and others mineral salts, malic, silicic and citric organic acids, fatty acids, mucus, resins and essential oils.

Cucumber herb is used for:

cough, cold, fever;
muscle pain, rheumatism and gout;
neuroses and increased nervous excitability, insomnia;
violations of cardiac activity;
gastritis, colitis, constipation;
urolithiasis and cholelithiasis;
inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract;
beriberi;
edema;
metabolic disorders;
skin diseases and wounds (externally).

Recipes

Juice
Borage juice is universal remedy from the above diseases: nervousness, inflammation of the kidneys, fever, etc. In addition, borage juice will help fight obesity: for this, it can be used in pure form, and can be mixed with celery juice.
To prepare juice from borage, take fresh lower leaves of the plant, rinse them in cold water, douse with boiling water and chop with a meat grinder or combine. Then squeeze the resulting mass through several layers of gauze. Next, dilute the juice with boiled water or whey in a ratio of 1: 1 and boil for 3 minutes. Cool the juice. Take 3 tablespoons three times a day 30 minutes before meals.

In addition to borage juice, you can cook healing infusions and decoctions.
Infusion:

1 tbsp cucumber grass;
1 st. boiling water.

Pour the chopped borage with boiling water and let it brew for 40 minutes. Strain the resulting infusion and take 1/4 cup 4 times a day. The infusion improves metabolism and calms the nervous system.
Infusion from gastritis:

5 g of borage flowers;
200 ml of boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the flowers and leave to infuse under the lid for 6 hours. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day. Also, this infusion will help with diseases of the heart, kidneys and bladder.
Infusion from diseases of the heart and kidneys:

1 tbsp without a slide of borage grass;
2 tbsp. boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the cucumber herb in a thermos and leave overnight. In the morning, strain and take half a glass 4 times a day before meals.

Cold infusion:

3 tbsp crushed borage leaves;
2 tbsp. chilled boiled water.

Fill the borage with water and leave to infuse for two hours. Strain. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.
Decoction for depression:

1 tsp borage herbs;
1 st. boiling water;
1 tsp honey.

Pour the chopped herb with boiling water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let it brew for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey. Drink half a glass in the morning and in the evening for 3 weeks.
Decoction for nervous disorders:

1 tbsp cucumber grass;
1 st. boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the cucumber herb and boil for 10 minutes over low heat. Then remove the decoction from the heat and let it brew for 30 minutes. Strain the cooled broth and take 1 tablespoon three times a day. Also this recipe suitable for the treatment of gastritis with low acidity.

Sweating infusion:

1 part borage herb;
1 part strawberry leaves;
250 ml of boiling water (for 1 tbsp collection).

Prepare a collection of the indicated herbs and brew 1 tablespoon of the collection with boiling water. Let the drink brew for 15 minutes and drink instead of tea. The recommended course of treatment is no longer than 1 month.
Borage tea:

1 tbsp herbs or 1 tsp. borage flowers;
250 ml of boiling water.

Brew borage with boiling water like regular tea and drink a cup a day for 21-30 days. Such tea helps to reduce blood pressure and temperature, increase lactation, strengthen the heart muscle. You can also drink it to treat upper respiratory tract infections.
Infusion fortifying:

1 tbsp borage herbs;
1 st. boiling water;
1-2 tsp honey.

Pour boiling water over the borage, let it brew for an hour. Then strain and add honey. Take 1 tablespoon three times daily with meals. After a month of treatment, a monthly break should be taken, and then the course can be repeated.

Infusion for external use:

1 handful dried leaves borage;
500 ml of boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the leaves, wrap the container with the mixture and let it brew for 15 minutes. Then use the resulting infusion for compresses from wounds, ulcers, burns on the skin.

Cucumber in cosmetology

In cosmetology, borage oil is often used both in pure form and in creams. Borage oil is well suited for dry fading, sensitive skin. It is also used in masks for oily skin.
Cucumber oil:

2 tbsp borage flowers;
100 g olive oil.

Pour the flowers with oil and heat for 15 minutes in a water bath. Then wait until the resulting product cools down and strain.
Hair mask for dandruff and for growth:

1 part sea buckthorn oil.

Mix oils, heat until warm temperature, apply on the scalp, wrap the head with a plastic bag, and on top with a scarf or towel. Keep the mask on for 1-2 hours. Wash off with shampoo.

Mask for dry skin:

1 tsp borage oils;
1 egg yolk;
3 drops of orange oil.

Mix all the ingredients and apply the mask on your face for half an hour. Wash off with warm water.
Mask for combination and oily skin:

1 tsp borage oils;
5 drops of lemon juice;
4 drops of tea tree oil.

Mix these ingredients and apply to cleansed face. After an hour, wash with warm water and soap.
Hand cream:

1 part borage oil;
1 part jojoba oil;
1 part coconut oil.

Mix the oils and apply on your hands before bed.
Also, borage oil is used to eliminate joint pain and treat psoriasis - for this, it is applied in its pure form to sore or affected areas.

Contraindications

A contraindication to the use of borage is only individual intolerance and liver disease. However, you should strictly follow the doctor's recommendations and dosage of medications. Exceeding the dose of drugs based on borage and taking more than one month can lead to impaired liver function. It is better to take this plant as part of herbal preparations.