Borage is a large plant with blue, star-shaped flowers found throughout Europe and North Africa. The plant's seeds, flowers and leaves are used for medicinal purposes. PGE1 has anti-inflammatory properties and may also act as a blood thinner. The use of borage can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, where it was used as a sedative. Throughout the Middle Ages, borage leaves soaked in wine were used to relieve the symptoms of melancholy.
Borage oil is used most commonly to treat arthritis and certain skin conditions.
One small study in 1993 showed that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who took 1.4 grams of borage oil daily for 24 weeks experienced significant reductions in joint tenderness and swelling compared to those using a placebo. Other trials have shown borage oil to reduce conditions such as skin inflammation, lesions, dryness, scaliness and itching without side-effects. More recently, a small study conducted in Great Britain found that breast cancer patients taking 2.8 grams of gammalinolenic acid extracted from borage every day in conjunction with the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen had a much quicker and more pronounced response rate than those taking tamoxifen alone. While a recommended daily allowance has yet to be determined, the recommended adult dose of GLA from borage for rheumatoid arthritis is 1.4 grams daily for at least two months. Other amounts can be delivered topically or orally depending on the severity of the condition.