Borage oil, or Borago officinalis, is derived from seeds of the star-shaped blue flowers of the borage plant. It contains GLA, or gamma linolenic acid, a powerful fatty acid, in addition to the essential fatty acid omega-6, and together they lend borage oil its medicinal properties. The gamma linolenic acid in borage oil transforms into a hormone-like substance that can block skin inflammations.
Reduction of Eczema
Although most clinical trials with GLA have been with evening primrose oil, according to research conducted by G. Landi that was published in the "Journal of Applied Cosmetology" in 1993, borage oil can relieve the symptoms of eczema or atopic dermatitis. It was found that treatment with borage oil reduces skin itching, inflammation and scaliness. Although not all subjects who used borage oil in other double-blind trials enjoyed reductions in skin inflammation, some did. Regular use of borage oil has been known to help reduce symptoms, not only of eczema but also acne, psoriasis, itchy scalp and the chronic inflammatory skin condition of rosacea. The symptoms of rosacea are redness or swelling of the nose, chin, cheeks, forehead or eyelids.
Restoring Dry and Damaged Skin
A clinical study by H.P. Nissen and colleagues in 1995 on 24 subjects with scaly, dry skin showed that borage oil was able to restore the softness and moisture of dry skin. Not only did borage oil restore the skin smoothness, but also the humidity of the skin and TEWL, or transepidermal water loss. TEWL is the quantity of water that passes through the epidermal layer of the skin into the surrounding atmosphere through evaporation.
According to researchers from the Laboratoire Oenobiol in France and the Heinrich-Heine University and the University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany, borage oil acts internally to improve skin health.
Relief of Infantile Seborrheic Dermatitis
The external application of borage oil was used by children suffering from infantile seborrheic dermatitis in a study by A.Tolleson and A. Frithz that was published in the "British Journal of Dermatology" in 1993. Children with this condition have dry scales and crusts on their eyelids, scalp, face, armpits and groins. All 48 children in the study after only 10 to 12 days of the treatment with borage oil were free from lesions, even in other areas of their bodies where the oil was not applied. The condition never returned, even after the discontinuation of borage oil.
Always consult your physician before using borage oil. Ingesting the improper amount of this oil can cause nausea, diarrhea, liver problems, intoxication, bloating and severe headaches.
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