Borage seed oil

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Borage plant flowers.
Borage plant flowers.

Borage seed oil is derived from the seeds of the plant, Borago officinalis (borage).[1]

Borage seed oil has one of the highest amounts of

evening primrose oil
, to which it is considered similar. GLA typically comprises about 24% of the oil.

Biology

Effects

GLA is converted to

atopic eczema, and respiratory inflammation.[1]

Uses

In

heart disease and stroke.[2] There is insufficient scientific evidence to determine the effectiveness of borage for a majority of these uses.[2]

Several clinical studies have shown the oil to be ineffective at treating

eczema was not better than placebo when taken orally.[5]

Safety

Adverse effects

Borage oil may contain the

hepatotoxic leading to a risk of liver damage.[1]

Patients should use borage oil that is certified free of toxic unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (UPAs).[1] Consumption of 1-2 g of borage seed oil daily can result in an intake of toxic UPAs approaching 10 ug.[1] The German Federal Health Agency specifies consumption to be limited to 1 ug of UPA daily.[1]

Borage oil may be unsafe during pregnancy because preliminary studies suggest borage oil has a teratogenic effect and that its prostaglandin E agonist action may cause premature labor.[1][9]

Seizures have been reported as a complication of ingestion of borage oil in doses of 1,500 to 3,000 mg daily,[10] although a mixed review of borage oil's effect on seizure thresholds indicates that borage oil quality varies.[11] A specific extraction process may offer purified products with 50%+ GLA content.

Borage seed oil might prolong bleeding time, increase the risk of bruising and bleeding, and increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.[2]

Interactions

Because borage oil can theoretically lower the seizure threshold due to its GLA content, it could therefore trigger a seizure in users of phenothiazines or tricyclic antidepressants.[1]

Use of NSAIDs with borage oil may theoretically decrease the effects of borage oil, as NSAIDs interfere with the synthesis of prostaglandin E.[1]

References

  1. ^
    Sloan-Kettering
    website
  2. ^ a b c "Borage". WebMD. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  3. S2CID 21396418
    .
  4. PMID 14670885
    .
  5. PMID 23633319
    .
  6. doi:10.1021/np50046a045
    .
  7. ^ Parvais, O.; Vander Stricht, B.; Vanhaelen-Fastre, R.; Vanhaelen, M. (1994). "TLC detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in oil extracted from the seeds of Borago officinalis". Journal of Planar Chromatography--Modern TLC. 7 (1): 80–82.
  8. S2CID 94575246
    .
  9. PMID 11710548
    .
  10. PMID 21387119
    .
  11. S2CID 29280247
    .
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