Long before scientists isolated gamma-linolenic acid or understood fatty acid metabolism, people across the Mediterranean world recognized something special about the bright blue-flowered plant we now call borage. The history of Borago officinalis spans millennia, crossing cultures and continents, evolving from a symbol of bravery to a culinary herb to one of the most valuable botanical oils in modern skincare. Understanding this history helps explain why we chose to include organic borage oil in our sports recovery formulations here on our Washington State farm.
The story of borage is ultimately a story about observation—about generations of people noticing that this particular plant seemed to affect the body and mind in beneficial ways, even when they couldn't explain exactly how or why.
Origins in the Ancient Mediterranean
The borage plant likely originated in the Aleppo region of Syria, though it spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean basin in ancient times. The Romans encountered it early and embraced it enthusiastically. Pliny the Elder, writing in his encyclopedic "Naturalis Historia" around 77 CE, documented borage's reputation for producing feelings of exhilaration and courage. He quoted an older saying—"Ego borago gaudia semper ago" (I, borage, bring always courage)—suggesting the plant's mood-lifting properties were already proverbial by his time.
The Romans added borage leaves and flowers to wine, believing the infusion would dispel melancholy and strengthen those heading into battle. Whether this effect stemmed from the plant's actual compounds or from the placebo power of cultural belief remains uncertain, but the association between borage and bravery became deeply embedded in Western herbal tradition.
Dioscorides, the Greek physician whose "De Materia Medica" served as the definitive pharmacological reference for over 1,500 years, also documented borage. His observations focused more on the plant's medicinal applications, noting its use for inflammatory conditions and skin complaints. Dioscorides' work would influence how physicians and herbalists understood borage for centuries to come.
Medieval Herbalism and the Doctrine of Signatures
The medieval period saw borage fully integrated into European herbalism, though the understanding of how it worked remained steeped in the symbolic thinking of the era. Herbalists of this time often relied on the Doctrine of Signatures—the belief that plants resembled the body parts or conditions they could treat. Borage's hairy stems and rough leaves were thought to indicate its usefulness for skin conditions, while its bright blue flowers suggested an affinity for lifting the spirits.
John Gerard, the English botanist and herbalist whose "Herball" of 1597 became one of the most influential botanical works in English, devoted considerable attention to borage. He wrote that the plant "maketh a man merry and joyfull" and recommended it for comfort of the heart and to drive away sorrow. Gerard also noted borage's use in treating "ring-worms, tetters, and such like spreading sores" when applied topically—an early recognition of what we now understand as the plant's anti-inflammatory properties.
Nicholas Culpeper, whose "Complete Herbal" of 1653 remains in print today, expanded on these observations. A radical who believed medical knowledge should be accessible to common people rather than hoarded by physicians, Culpeper documented borage's traditional uses with characteristic confidence. He recommended the plant for "putrid and pestilential fevers" and noted its beneficial effects on the skin, particularly for conditions involving heat and inflammation.
The Welsh Connection and Celtic Traditions
In Welsh herbal tradition, borage held particular significance. The plant was called "llawenlys," meaning "herb of gladness," and was cultivated in monastery gardens and cottage plots alike. Welsh herbalists used borage preparations for skin conditions and as a general tonic, often combining it with other local plants in complex formulations passed down through generations.
This Celtic appreciation for borage contributed to the plant's spread throughout the British Isles and eventually to colonial America, where early settlers brought seeds and cuttings of their most valued medicinal plants. The practical knowledge of generations of herbalists—knowledge we might now call folk medicine—preserved observations about borage that would later be validated by modern science.
From Flower to Seed: The Discovery of Borage Oil
For most of history, borage was valued primarily for its leaves and flowers. The leaves were eaten as vegetables, added to salads for their cucumber-like flavor, or used to make teas and infusions. The flowers, edible and beautiful, decorated dishes and drinks. But the seeds—small, dark, and seemingly unremarkable—received little attention until the twentieth century.
The shift came when researchers began investigating the composition of seed oils from various plants, seeking new sources of essential fatty acids. In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists discovered that borage seeds contained extraordinarily high levels of gamma-linolenic acid. This finding transformed how the plant was perceived and used.
Dr. David Horrobin, a British medical researcher, became particularly interested in GLA after observing its effects on various inflammatory conditions. His research in the 1980s helped establish the connection between GLA deficiency and skin disorders, putting borage oil on the map as a therapeutic substance rather than just a culinary curiosity.
Commercial Cultivation Begins
The recognition of borage oil's value sparked commercial cultivation on a scale the plant had never seen. Farmers in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and eventually North America began growing borage specifically for its seeds. The economics were compelling: borage oil commanded premium prices due to its unique fatty acid profile, and the plant proved relatively easy to cultivate in temperate climates.
Modern borage cultivation bears little resemblance to the cottage garden plots of medieval herbalists. Commercial operations plant borage in rows, harvest the seeds mechanically, and extract the oil using cold-pressing techniques that preserve its beneficial compounds. Yet the same plant that Gerard praised for making people "merry and joyfull" remains at the center of it all.
Traditional Knowledge Meets Modern Science
What makes borage's history particularly interesting is how consistently traditional observations have aligned with modern findings. Medieval herbalists who applied borage preparations to "spreading sores" were unknowingly delivering gamma-linolenic acid to inflamed skin. The Romans who drank borage-infused wine for courage may have been experiencing the mild mood-lifting effects that some researchers attribute to GLA's influence on prostaglandin synthesis.
This doesn't mean every traditional claim about borage holds up to scrutiny—history is full of medicinal beliefs that proved unfounded. But the convergence between centuries of observation and contemporary research suggests that our ancestors, working without the tools of modern chemistry, managed to identify something genuinely valuable.
Borage in Contemporary Skincare
Today, borage oil appears in skincare formulations worldwide, valued for the same properties that medieval herbalists noticed without being able to name. The anti-inflammatory effects, the support for barrier function, the general calming influence on irritated skin—these benefits drive its inclusion in products ranging from pharmaceutical creams to artisan formulations like ours.
When we decided to include organic borage oil in Active Cream and Muscle Cream, we were drawing on this long history while applying modern understanding. We know now that GLA supports recovery by modulating inflammatory pathways. We know that essential fatty acids contribute to healthy cell membranes. We know these things because scientists built on observations that stretch back to Pliny and Dioscorides.
The farmers who grow our borage may use tractors instead of wooden plows, but they're cultivating the same species that grew in Roman gardens two thousand years ago. The blue flowers still attract bees. The hairy leaves still taste faintly of cucumber. And the seeds still contain the remarkable oil that makes borage uniquely valuable for skin health.
History matters in skincare because it provides perspective. The ingredients that have served people well across centuries and cultures tend to be ingredients worth taking seriously. Borage has earned that consideration.
