Starflower is an annual plant with rough leaves that belongs to the Borraginacea family. It has a height of 30-60 cm and highlights its blue flowers, with rough leaves (which are used to flavor green salads of “Cucumber” for its aroma, which closely resembles that of fresh cucumber). This plant originated in uncultivated open spaces of the Mediterranean region.

The plant can also be found in gardens, roadsides and fallow land. Apart from Germany, borage is native to Western Europe, Central Europe and Eastern Europe, and also to South-West Asia and North America. However, the main areas are the Netherlands, France, Spain and Latin America.

Starflower has been used for a long time as a natural remedy (mucolytic agent for people with cough, or as a blood purifying agent), but it also contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are associated with unwanted hepatotoxic and carcinogenic effects (the Celts were intoxicated with wine flavored with borage before entering battle). The oil is light yellow, rich in palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids and particularly rich in g-linoleic acid (16-25%), which emits a characteristic odor and has a mild taste. Starflower oil has a higher natural g-linoleic acid content than any other vegetable oil.

It is used for medicinal purposes in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, skin disorders (psoriasis), eczema, coronary artery obstruction, hypertension, and also to control the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood. Other areas in which it is also used are in aromatherapy and in the regeneration of skin tissue and nails.