If you dream of turning to grow not only ornamental plants, but also medicinal plants on your site, then take note of the borago plant. The second name of this plant is cucumber herb. Young borage leaves smell amazingly of fresh cucumber. The healing properties of cucumber herb were known back in the Middle Ages. The knights had a tradition to enter the battlefield only after drinking a cup of tea from borago. They also adorned their armor with this plant, believing that it would bring good luck. The charming annual borago will become a real natural pantry full of useful properties.
Botanical description
Borago is a plant with medicinal properties and is actively used for medical and cosmetic purposes. It is an annual herb that can grow up to one meter in height.
Taproot, hollow inside, and branched above. The leaves in the lower part have an oval shape, and in the upper part they are oblong, ovoid. The foliage surface is covered with whitish hairs.
Inflorescences are formed from curls, which contain flowers of a dark blue hue. The surface has a dense coating, consists of protruding bristles. Flowers are arranged on long legs.
During the ripening period, fruits are formed in the form of an oblong nut with a wrinkled surface. Their length is only 50 mm. Inside them there are seeds that spill out of the fruit after ripening.
Pharmacological properties
The borage plant has a wide range of useful properties, thanks to which it is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. It is capable of performing the following actions:
- Coats the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, improves digestion, produces a laxative effect.
- Removes excess water from the body.
- Calms the nervous system, helps to cope with stress, sleep problems.
- Normalizes metabolic processes in the body.
- Improves the psycho-emotional state of a person, as it promotes the production of the hormone of joy.
- Strengthens the immune system.
- Suppresses inflammatory processes in the body.
- It has a positive effect on the activity of the adrenal glands.
- Accelerates the healing of skin wounds.
- It improves the condition of the skin, slows down the aging process, therefore it is used in cosmetology for the preparation of various caring agents.
Chemical composition
The beneficial properties of cucumber herb are due to the rich content of useful chemical organic and inorganic components that can have a healing effect on human health. The vegetative mass and seeds are available:
- essential oils;
- mucous joints;
- substances from the tannin group;
- silicon;
- saponin compounds;
- resin compounds;
- vitamin C;
- zinc;
- potassium;
- carotene;
- Apple acid;
- calcium;
- choline;
- iron;
- citric acid and other equally valuable substances.
The flowers contain essential oil reserves. The oil produced from seeds is also highly valued. It consists of 20-27% gamma-linolenic acid, which is used in pharmacology. In addition, the oil contains alpha-linolenic acid, the presence of which reaches 10%. In its composition and properties, it is very similar to primrose oil.The presence of essential oil in borage ranges from 0.01 to 0.13%. Moreover, over time, the plant accumulates this product, therefore, there is more oil in old leaves than in young ones. In this oil, 23 volatile compounds have been isolated, of which aldehydes are especially valuable, as well as non-adcan, tetracosane and heptacosane.
Plant species
Borago comes in several varieties. The following varieties are ideal for growing in garden conditions.
"Vladykino Semko"
A lush shrub that grows in a panicle shape. Reaches 50 cm in height. Stems are straight, branched. The leaves are elliptical, large in size, strongly drooping. The flowers are blue, large. The plant ripens quickly.
"April"
This variety is capable of growing up to a meter long. The bush turns out to be spreading, has powerful stems. Borage oval leaves. The flowers are also blue, but have a pinkish tint.
Planting cucumber grass
Growing borage in a garden is not difficult. The plant grows rather quickly, tolerates low temperatures well in winter and easily reproduces by seed. But before planting a crop, it is worth remembering that it will be difficult to get rid of it later.
Planting is carried out in the spring or before winter. The place for it is selected so that the soil is loose, contains nutrients, passes moisture well, and has a level of acidity close to neutral. It is also important to make sure that there are no weeds around.
Before sowing, organic fertilizing is applied to the soil. Then they start planting, deepening the seeds into the ground by 20 mm. If the plant is planted in rows, then a distance of at least 50 cm must be maintained between them.
After the sprouts appear, they are thinned out so that the bushes are at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.
Agrotechnical cultivation
Sowing of borage is planned in the first decade of April. The main thing is that the earth warms up well, otherwise the seeds may not sprout like that. Rows 3 cm deep are made in the soil and grains are lowered into them at intervals of 10 cm. The row spacing is about 25 cm. In stable warm weather, the first shoots will appear in a week. When the crops in the rows begin to thicken, they must be thinned out and, of course, cleared of weeds.
Read also: Brussels sprouts: planting, care, benefits
The peculiarity of borage is that it is consumed only in fresh, and do not allow the collected raw materials to lie for a long time.
It will be useful if you eat freshly plucked leaves and stems. Therefore, many gardeners share their experience of conveyor sowing of seeds every 15 days. Thus, borage will be in your diet throughout the summer season.
For development, the borage does not need to create additional conditions. In prolonged heat, it must be watered and at least occasionally loosen the ground in the aisles. At the beginning of the growing season, the grass will gratefully accept nitrogen-containing feeding from a solution of chicken manure infusion. As the bushes grow, it is necessary to thin out the crops and collect seeds in time. Otherwise, a thicket of furry borago is formed on the site.
Borago care
Caring for cucumber grass will also not cause difficulties even for inexperienced gardeners. After all, she is unpretentious to environmental conditions. Watering is carried out only in severe drought, when there is no rain for a long time.
When weeds appear nearby, they must be removed. The soil is periodically loosened. Flowers and stems that have withered are removed. This is necessary for longer flowering.
When growing plants on barren land, fertilizers of a universal type are applied.
Where did the borage come from?
It is not known what appeared earlier - cucumber or borage herb. But it is known from history that cucumber herb was known back in Ancient Rome, when they did not hear about cucumbers at all.Before battles, the warriors of Ancient Rome were "forced" to eat cucumber grass, or to drink a drink made from it - to raise strength, fighting spirit, fearlessness, courage, stamina, and a good mood.
Cucumber grass grows in many territories of Russia, Belarus, southern Europe, Asia, Africa. But it "inspired" the seeds of this herb from Syria. Borago grows like a weed, therefore it is absolutely unpretentious to weather conditions and can grow in ordinary soil, clay, sand and even in garbage dumps. It is considered a wild plant. But it can be specially grown as a cultivated plant in vegetable gardens and horticultural plots.
Collection, drying and storage
To collect seeds, choose those bushes that grow under the very sun. To avoid self-seeding, all peduncles are cut off when the bolls begin to ripen, acquire a brownish tint. Then the collected material is placed under the ripening shed.
After a few days, the seeds are taken out of the boxes, after which they are dried in a well-ventilated and darkened room. Also, drying can be carried out in special dryers, ovens.
If you store the seeds correctly, then their germination will last up to 3 years. For storage, choose a place protected from sunlight and moisture. Also, the room should be cool.
Borago application
The use of cucumber herb is quite wide. It is used in various fields, from medicine to households.
For medicinal purposes
On the basis of borago, infusions and decoctions are prepared that help in the treatment of various pathologies. Juice also survives from it, which is also widely used for medicinal purposes.
- Decoction
It is required to take 20 g of dried leaves, pour a glass of water, put on fire and boil for 15 minutes. Then strain and take one tablespoon three times a day on an empty stomach.
The tool perfectly copes with such problems as:
- colitis;
- painful sensations in the joints;
- nervous disorders;
- cold.
You can also use a decoction to treat skin pathologies with an external method.
- Infusion
The infusion is prepared as follows: mix 2 tablespoons of dry leaves, a tablespoon of borage flowers. Pour the resulting mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave to infuse for 60 minutes, and then strain a couple of times.
Consume a tablespoon once a day. The tool helps to cope with joint pain, muscle pain, rheumatism, as well as inflammatory processes in the body.
- The juice
For the preparation of juice, the leaves of the cucumber herb are used, which grow at the very bottom. They need to be thoroughly rinsed, rinsed with boiling water, minced and squeezed.
The resulting liquid is not accepted in its pure form. It is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 1, after which it is boiled for 3 minutes. It is necessary to use 2 tablespoons three times a day.
This remedy is used to eliminate sleep disorders, stress, kidney stones, and to get rid of fever.
For cosmetic purposes
In cosmetology, cucumber herb is used due to the fact that it is capable of producing the following effects:
- Moisturizing. For dry, dehydrated skin, the herb will be a real lifesaver. Creams based on it will help moisturize the dermis, restore the normal state of the cover.
- Smoothing. Borago products help smooth out small irregularities, wrinkles, and also make the skin color more uniform.
- Healing. The herb can accelerate the recovery of the skin after various injuries, for example, after cosmetic procedures performed with the help of devices.
Also, the plant improves metabolic processes in the cells of the skin. This property helps to cope with the increased fat content of the dermis, get rid of acne, acne.
Recipes
Young leaves have a bright, refreshing taste with a strong cucumber aroma. They will add a spicy touch to any dish.Even the simplest salad with a minimal set of ingredients will brighten up the spring menu.
Ingredients:
- boiled potatoes - 2 pcs.;
- cucumber grass - 100 g;
- green onions - 2-3 pcs.;
- dill - 2-3 branches;
- sour cream - 1-2 tablespoons;
- salt to taste.
Preparation
Cut the potatoes into small cubes, finely chop the borage and herbs, salt to taste, season with sour cream.
Cold puree soup
Ingredients:
- cucumber grass - 300 g;
- boiled potatoes - 2-3 pcs.;
- boiled egg - 2-3 pcs.;
- green onions - a few feathers;
- dill - 2-3 branches;
- sour cream or mayonnaise - 2-3 tablespoons;
- kefir or yogurt - 0.5 l;
- salt to taste.
Preparation
Grind all the ingredients in a blender, salt to taste, add sour cream or mayonnaise and pour in kefir (yogurt).
Contraindications for use
Borago is a medicinal herb, but when used for medicinal purposes, it is important to adhere to the recommended dosages and duration of treatment. Taking herbal remedies for more than a month can negatively affect liver health.
It is not at all advised to use the plant for people with individual intolerance.
Thus, borage is an unusual and useful plant that can be grown in the garden, both for decoration and for harvesting medicinal raw materials. The culture is not whimsical, so even an inexperienced gardener can take care of it.
