Borage

NutraPedia - Evidence-Based Supplement Research

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Health Goals: inflammation skin joints

Research Overview

Across the provided abstracts, borage (typically borage seed oil) appears most often in broader, multi-ingredient reviews rather than as the primary focus of dedicated clinical research. The most frequently discussed area is dermatology/skin care, where borage oil is grouped with other plant oils in narrative overviews of topical applications aimed at reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, supporting wound healing, and improving skin barrier function. A second area is mental health, where borage is listed among “less known” herbal candidates for mild-to-moderate depression in a non-systematic review that emphasizes plausible neurochemical (e.g., monoamine-related) and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, but does not establish borage-specific clinical efficacy. A third, more clinical and regulated context is neonatal parenteral nutrition, where borage oil is mentioned as one component of “alternative” lipid emulsions evaluated in randomized or quasi-randomized trials and synthesized in a Cochrane review.

The strongest evidence in these abstracts comes from the neonatal parenteral nutrition literature, because it is based on randomized comparisons and meta-analytic synthesis; however, the evidence pertains to lipid emulsion formulations that may include borage oil rather than isolating borage oil’s independent effects. Overall, the Cochrane review reports low to very low certainty evidence for many outcomes and generally finds no clear differences between lipid emulsion types for several clinically important endpoints in preterm infants, with limited and uncertain signals in specific subgroups (e.g., infants with established PN-associated cholestasis). For dermatologic and antidepressant uses, the abstracts provided are narrative reviews that describe potential anti-inflammatory/antioxidant or CNS-relevant mechanisms and traditional/adjunctive use, but they do not, on their own, constitute strong confirmatory evidence of clinical benefit specific to borage.

Key research gaps include (1) well-designed, borage-specific clinical trials in dermatology that measure standardized outcomes (e.g., validated barrier function metrics, eczema severity indices, wound-healing endpoints) and clarify optimal formulation, dosing, and safety for topical use; (2) controlled clinical studies testing borage preparations for depressive symptoms, with clear characterization of active constituents, pharmacodynamics, and interaction risks alongside standard antidepressants; and (3) in neonatal nutrition, trials or analyses that can disentangle the contribution of borage oil from other lipid sources within mixed emulsions, with adequate power and consistent definitions for outcomes such as cholestasis/PNALD. Across all areas, more rigorous evidence synthesis (systematic reviews focused specifically on borage) and improved standardization of borage-derived products would strengthen interpretability and clinical translation.

1. What conditions has Borage been studied for?

  • Skin conditions / skin barrier dysfunction: Mentioned in a review of plant oils used topically for skin diseases and restoration of cutaneous homeostasis, including anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects, wound healing, and skin barrier repair (borage oil included among oils reviewed).

  • Depression (mild to moderate, as part of phytotherapy discussion): Included among plants with reported antidepressant activity in a narrative (non-systematic) review discussing mechanisms and “selected clinical studies.”

  • Parenteral nutrition outcomes in preterm infants: “Borage oil-based lipid emulsion” is listed as an alternative lipid emulsion type evaluated across randomized/quasi-randomized studies in a Cochrane review assessing outcomes such as PN-associated liver disease (PNALD)/cholestasis, growth, mortality, and other neonatal outcomes.

  • Metabolic/cardiometabolic and inflammatory diseases (traditional/claimed uses): A borage overview notes use for multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and eczema, and discusses clinical considerations and liver/kidney tests—this is presented as a literature-based overview rather than a single definitive trial.

  • Food processing/chemical exposure context (acrylamide reduction): A study found borage extract reduced acrylamide formation in French fries (air frying and deep frying), which is relevant to dietary exposure reduction rather than treatment of a disease.

  • Agricultural stress physiology (plant study): A borage plant experiment evaluated mitigation of salinity stress using biochar and/or melatonin—this is not a human health condition but does involve borage as the study organism.

2. Does it work in treating those conditions? Summarize the evidence.

  • Skin conditions (topical use): The plant-oils review states that various oils (including borage oil) have data supporting roles in anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects, wound healing, and skin barrier repair. However, the abstract does not provide borage-specific trial outcomes, effect sizes, or specific diagnoses (e.g., eczema severity scores), so efficacy for any single skin condition cannot be confirmed from these abstracts alone.

  • Depression: The depression paper is explicitly a narrative, non-systematic review and states that preclinical and “previous clinical studies” support antidepressant activity for several plants including borage, with proposed mechanisms (e.g., monoamine reuptake/MAO inhibition and anti-inflammatory effects). The abstract does not provide borage-specific clinical trial details (population, dose, comparator, outcomes), so the evidence presented here is suggestive but not conclusive for efficacy.

  • Preterm infants receiving parenteral nutrition (borage oil-based lipid emulsions): In the Cochrane review of 29 studies (n=2037) comparing multiple lipid emulsions, the authors conclude they did not find any particular lipid emulsion to be better than another for prevention of PNALD/cholestasis, growth, mortality, ROP, BPD, and other outcomes in preterm infants overall. Borage oil-based emulsions are included as “alternative-LE,” but the abstract does not report a borage-specific advantage; overall evidence quality for key liver outcomes is described as low to very low in several comparisons.

  • Other claimed uses (MS, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, eczema): The borage overview lists these as uses and discusses clinical considerations and lab tests, but the abstract does not present clear controlled-trial evidence demonstrating benefit for these conditions. From these abstracts, effectiveness for these indications remains unproven/uncertain.

  • Acrylamide reduction in food: Borage extract reduced acrylamide formation in French fries substantially in this study (reported reductions of ~68% in air frying and ~66% in deep frying for borage extract). This supports a role in reducing a potentially harmful food contaminant, but it is not evidence that borage treats a medical condition in humans.

3. What health benefits does it have?

  • Source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA): The borage overview states borage seed oil is rich in GLA (26%–38%). It also lists other fatty acids (e.g., linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid) and notes borage seed oil is used as a dietary/food supplement.

  • Potential skin-supporting properties (topical): The plant-oils review frames borage oil (among others) as relevant to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on skin, wound healing, and skin barrier repair. The abstract does not isolate borage-specific results, but it supports plausibility of dermatologic benefit within the broader plant-oil literature.

  • Potential antidepressant-related activity (preclinical/limited clinical context): The depression narrative review includes borage among plants with reported antidepressant activity and highlights mechanisms consistent with antidepressant pharmacology (monoamine pathways and anti-inflammatory effects). This is a potential benefit, but the abstract does not provide borage-specific clinical efficacy details.

  • Potential reduction of dietary acrylamide exposure (food application): In the French fries study, borage extract reduced acrylamide formation and had high scavenging activity and phenolic content. This suggests a potential food-preparation benefit (lowering acrylamide in a cooked food), though it does not directly demonstrate improved health outcomes.

4. Does it have any downsides or side effects?

  • Safety data are limited in these abstracts: The provided abstracts do not list common adverse effects of oral borage supplements (e.g., GI effects) or specific contraindications.

  • Neonatal parenteral nutrition context: The Cochrane review evaluating multiple lipid emulsions (including borage oil-based emulsions) found no clear differences between lipid emulsion types for many adverse clinical outcomes (e.g., death, sepsis, major neonatal morbidities) in pair-wise meta-analyses, but also emphasizes low/very low-quality evidence for some key outcomes and insufficient evidence in certain subgroups. This suggests no clear signal of harm or benefit specific to borage-based emulsions from the abstract, but uncertainty remains.

  • Composition-related considerations: The borage overview lists fatty acids including erucic acid (1.5%–3.5%). The abstract does not discuss clinical risk from this, but it is a compositional detail sometimes considered in safety evaluations of oils; the abstracts provided do not allow a firm conclusion about clinical significance.

  • Liver/kidney considerations mentioned but not detailed: The borage overview states it discusses effects on patients’ blood/urine biochemistry and liver/kidney performance tests, but the abstract does not provide outcomes or whether any adverse changes occurred.

5. Is it beneficial or harmful for any genetic variations (pharmacogenomics)?

No pharmacogenomic findings are provided in the supplied abstracts.

  • Depression mechanisms discussed (monoamine reuptake/MAO, CNS receptors, anti-inflammatory effects) could, in principle, intersect with genetic variation (e.g., genes affecting monoamine metabolism or inflammatory pathways), but the abstract does not report genotype-stratified outcomes or gene–supplement interactions for borage.

  • Conclusion from these abstracts: There is insufficient evidence here to state that borage is beneficial or harmful for any specific genetic variants.

References

  1. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils.
    Tzu-Kai Lin, Lily Zhong, Juan Luis Santiago (2017) - International journal of molecular sciences
  2. Depression and Its Phytopharmacotherapy-A Narrative Review.
    Lukasz Dobrek, Krystyna Głowacka (2023) - International journal of molecular sciences
  3. Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng: Botanical, Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Nutritional Significance.
    Greetha Arumugam, Mallappa Kumara Swamy, Uma Rani Sinniah (2016) - Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  4. Lipid emulsions for parenterally fed preterm infants.
    Vishal Kapoor, Manoj N Malviya, Roger Soll (2019) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
  5. Sustainable Biochar and/or Melatonin Improve Salinity Tolerance in Borage Plants by Modulating Osmotic Adjustment, Antioxidants, and Ion Homeostasis.
    Saad Farouk, Arwa Abdulkreem Al-Huqail (2022) - Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
  6. The chemical composition, botanical characteristic and biological activities of Borago officinalis: a review.
    Majid Asadi-Samani, Mahmoud Bahmani, Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei (2014) - Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
  7. Co-encapsulation of borage seed oil and peppermint oil blends within ultrasound-assisted soy protein isolate/purity gum ultra complex nanoparticles: Fabrication, structural interaction mechanisms, and in vitro digestion studies.
    Abdur Rehman, Ibrahim Khalifa, Hafiz Abdul Rasheed, Muhammad Waheed Iqbal, Muhammad Shoaib, Junxia Wang, Yongjun Zhao, Qiufang Liang, Mingming Zhong, Yufan Sun, Tawfiq Alsulami, Xiaofeng Ren, Song Miao (2025) - Food chemistry
  8. Comparative Effects of Two Forms of Chitosan on Selected Phytochemical Properties of
    Maria Stasińska-Jakubas, Barbara Hawrylak-Nowak, Magdalena Wójciak, Sławomir Dresler (2023) - Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  9. The effect of borage, ginger and fennel extracts on acrylamide formation in French fries in deep and electric air frying.
    Amira Haddarah, Elissa Naim, Iman Dankar, Francesc Sepulcre, Montserrat Pujolà, Manal Chkeir (2021) - Food chemistry
  10. Effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid and gamma-linolenic acid on acne vulgaris: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.
    Jae Yoon Jung, Hyuck Hoon Kwon, Jong Soo Hong, Ji Young Yoon, Mi Sun Park, Mi Young Jang, Dae Hun Suh (2014) - Acta dermato-venereologica
  11. Moisturizing effect of skin patches with hydrophobic and hydrophilic electrospun fibers for atopic dermatitis.
    Zuzanna J Krysiak, Joanna Knapczyk-Korczak, Gabriela Maniak, Urszula Stachewicz (2021) - Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces
  12. Herbal therapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
    Melainie Cameron, Joel J Gagnier, Sigrun Chrubasik (2011) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
  13. Oral evening primrose oil and borage oil for eczema.
    Joel T M Bamford, Sujoy Ray, Alfred Musekiwa, Christel van Gool, Rosemary Humphreys, Edzard Ernst (2013) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
  14. Dietary supplements for established atopic eczema.
    Fiona J Bath-Hextall, Claire Jenkinson, Rosemary Humphreys, Hywel C Williams (2012) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
  15. Bigel Formulations of Nanoencapsulated St. John's Wort Extract-An Approach for Enhanced Wound Healing.
    Yoana Sotirova, Viliana Gugleva, Stanila Stoeva, Iliyan Kolev, Rositsa Nikolova, Maria Marudova, Krastena Nikolova, Yoana Kiselova-Kaneva, Minka Hristova, Velichka Andonova (2023) - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
  16. Alternative lipid emulsions versus pure soy oil based lipid emulsions for parenterally fed preterm infants.
    Vishal Kapoor, Rebecca Glover, Manoj N Malviya (2015) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
  17. Spray dried nanoemulsions loaded with curcumin, resveratrol, and borage seed oil: The role of two different modified starches as encapsulating materials.
    Abdur Rehman, Qunyi Tong, Seid Mahdi Jafari, Sameh A Korma, Imran Mahmood Khan, Ali Mohsin, Muhammad Faisal Manzoor, Waqas Ashraf, Bilal Sajid Mushtaq, Saadia Zainab, Ilaria Cacciotti (2021) - International journal of biological macromolecules
  18. Evaluation of foliar application of selenium and flowering stages on selected properties of Iranian Borage as a medicinal plant.
    Mazaher Hosseinzadeh Rostam Kalaei, Vahid Abdossi, Elham Danaee (2022) - Scientific reports
  19. Incorporation of docetaxel and thymoquinone in borage nanoemulsion potentiates their antineoplastic activity in breast cancer cells.
    Mayson H Alkhatib, Raghdah S Bawadud, Hana M Gashlan (2020) - Scientific reports
  20. Lipid emulsions for parenterally fed term and late preterm infants.
    Vishal Kapoor, Manoj N Malviya, Roger Soll (2019) - The Cochrane database of systematic reviews


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