Borage seed oil
Borage seed oil is derived from the seeds of the Borago officinalis (borage).[1]
Borage seed oil has one of the highest amounts of γ-linolenic acid (GLA) of seed oils — higher than blackcurrant seed oil or evening primrose oil, to which it is considered similar. GLA comprises around 24% of the oil typically. GLA is converted to dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, a precursor to a variety of the 1-series prostaglandins and the 3-series leukotrienes. It is thought to provide therapeutic benefit in rheumatologic illness by inhibiting leukotriene synthesis.[1] Borage seed oil may therefore have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects and it has been studied for its potential to treat anti-inflammatory disorders, arthritis, atopic eczema, and respiratory inflammation.[1] However, several clinical studies have shown it to be ineffective at treating atopic eczema.[2][3]
Borage oil may contain the pyrrolizidine alkaloid amabiline,[4][5][6] which is hepatotoxic leading to a risk of liver damage.[1] Patients should use borage oil certified free of unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids.[1] Borage oil may be unsafe during pregnancy because preliminary studies suggest borage oil has a teratogenic effect and that its prostaglandin E agonist action may cause premature labor.[1][7] Seizures have been reported as a complication of ingestion of borage oil in doses of 1,500 to 3,000 mg daily. A specific extraction process may offer purified products with 50%+ GLA content.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Borage at Sloan-Kettering website
- ^ Henz, BM; Jablonska, S; Van De Kerkhof, PC; Stingl, G; Blaszczyk, M; Vandervalk, PG; Veenhuizen, R; Muggli, R et al (1999). "Double-blind, multicentre analysis of the efficacy of borage oil in patients with atopic eczema". The British journal of dermatology 140 (4): 685–8. PMID 10233322.
- ^ Takwale, A; Tan, E; Agarwal, S; Barclay, G; Ahmed, I; Hotchkiss, K; Thompson, JR; Chapman, T et al (2003). "Efficacy and tolerability of borage oil in adults and children with atopic eczema: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group trial". BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 327 (7428): 1385. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7428.1385. PMC 292992. PMID 14670885. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=292992.
- ^ Dodson, Craig D.; Stermitz, Frank R. (1986). "Pyrrolizidine alkaloids from borage (Borago officinalis) seeds and flowers". Journal of Natural Products 49 (4): 727–728. doi:10.1021/np50046a045.
- ^ Parvais, O.; Vander Stricht, B.; Vanhaelen-Fastre, R.; Vanhaelen, M. (1994). "TLC detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in oil extracted from the seeds of Borago officinalis". Journal of Planar Chromatography--Modern TLC 7 (1): 80-82.
- ^ Wretensjoe, Inger; Karlberg, Bo. (2003). "Pyrrolizidine alkaloid content in crude and processed borage oil from different processing stages". Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 80 (10): 963–970. doi:10.1007/s11746-003-0804-z.
- ^ Kast, RE (2001). "Borage oil reduction of rheumatoid arthritis activity may be mediated by increased cAMP that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha". International immunopharmacology 1 (12): 2197–9. PMID 11710548.
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