The flowering plant borago (Borago), also called cucumber grass, or borage, or borage, is a member of the Borage family. This genus unites 5 species. Only 1 species is cultivated by gardeners, called borage (Borago officinalis), which is a herbaceous annual. In nature, it grows like a weed and is found in Asia Minor, Siberia and Europe. For a long time, mankind has known cucumber herb as a plant that gives pollen-pollen, and also light honey. Once the greenery of this plant was used as a blue dye for woolen fabrics. This culture is called cucumber herb because of its scent, which is very similar to that of fresh cucumbers.
Content
Features of cucumber grass
The herb borago officinalis is a coarse-haired annual with a height ranging from 0.6 to 1 meter. Taproot, ascending or straight ribbed thick stem is hollow inside, and branches in the upper part. The lower basal, as well as stem leaf plates have a rounded apex, and their shape is elliptical or oval. In this case, the upper stem leaf plates are broad-linear, oblong-ovate and stalk-enveloping. On the surface of foliage and shoots there is a coating consisting of subulate hairs of a whitish color. The curls, which form the corymbose inflorescences, include flowers of a dark blue color, on the surface of which there is a thick coating consisting of bulging bristles. The flowers have long stalks. The fruit is a wrinkled, lumpy nut of an oblong-ovoid shape, which reaches about 0.5 cm in length. Inside the nuts there are seeds that can easily spill out onto the surface of the site after ripening. The seeds remain viable for 3 years.
Growing borage in the garden
Landing rules
It is very easy to grow borage on your site. It is a fast-growing plant, it is highly winter-hardy and perfectly reproduces by self-sowing, which is very important to take into account, since having planted it once, it is extremely difficult to get rid of it later. Even a novice gardener or gardener can easily cope with planting and growing such a plant on his site.
Sowing seeds is carried out at the beginning of the spring period or before winter.However, if you grow such a herb not to collect medicinal raw materials, but to obtain delicate greens, then you can sow it throughout the summer period 1 time in 14 days. Such a grass grows well on loose, nutritious, well-moistened soil, which should be neutral. Before sowing, the site is prepared, for this, all weeds are removed from it, and then dug up, while organic fertilizers should be added to the soil (per 1 square meter from 5 to 6 kilograms). The seeds are buried into the soil by 10–20 mm, while the row spacing should be from 0.4 to 0.45 m. After the seedlings appear, they must be thinned out, taking into account that the distance between the bushes should be from 15 to 20 centimeters ...
Cucumber Grass Care
It is very simple to care for the borago, you need to water it only during a prolonged drought, and if necessary, weeds are removed from the site, and the soil surface between the rows is also systematically loosened. If this herb is cultivated as an ornamental plant, then for longer flowering it is necessary to cut off all faded stems and remove wilted flowers. If borage grows on poor soil, then it is recommended to add a liquid solution of universal mineral fertilizer to it. The duration of the growing season is 70–80 days.
Collection and storage of borage
Flowers, herbs and seeds of cucumber herb have medicinal properties. It is recommended to harvest the leaves during the flowering period. They should be cut into thin strips, which are laid out for drying in 1 layer on paper sheets or cloth in a dark place outside or in a well-ventilated area. If a dryer is used to dry the foliage, then the air temperature there should be no more than 40 degrees.
Plucked flowers can be poured with honey or sugar syrup and stored on a refrigerator shelf. If desired, they can be dried in the same way as foliage.
Seed collection is carried out after the nuts turn brown. The fruits are scattered in 1 layer on a cloth or paper foliage, ripened, and then dried in the same way as the foliage. After the nuts are completely dry, they need to be threshed.
The finished raw materials are stored for storage in a cool and dry place, it retains its medicinal properties for 1 year.
Types and varieties of borage with photos and names
The following vegetable varieties of cucumber grass are popular among gardeners:
- Vladykinskoe Semko... Large oval-shaped leaf plates have strong pubescence. The color of large flowers is blue. The plant has a strong cucumber aroma.
- Gnome... This variety is resistant to frost, the stem of the bush is branched, and it itself has a pungent cucumber smell.
Borago varieties are also popular: April, Rucheek and Okroshka.
As an ornamental plant, only 2 varieties are grown:
- Alba... Bushes adorn white flowers.
- Variegata... This variety is variegated.
Borago properties: harm and benefit
Useful properties of borage
It has long been known that borago has medicinal properties. Not so long ago, the foliage of this plant was used during the treatment of arthritis, gout and skin diseases, which are caused by a violation of metabolic processes in the body. Cucumber herb contains resin, carotene, ascorbic, malic and citric acids, oil, potassium and calcium.
This herb has an enveloping, mild laxative, diaphoretic, sedative and diuretic effect. When you take borage oil inside, metabolic processes in the body are normalized, the emotional state improves, the immune system is strengthened and the production of joy hormones is enhanced. This remedy is highly effective for gastritis and stomach ulcers.This herb contains hormones that have a beneficial effect on the adrenal glands, which is extremely important after taking steroids. This oil is also used externally, as it promotes rapid wound healing. It is also used in cosmetology for the care of sensitive and problem skin of the face, as it helps to increase the ability of the skin to retain moisture. This oil can be included in anti-aging cosmetics that are designed to combat dryness, premature aging and sagging skin, as well as in anti-cellulite creams that are used to eliminate stretch marks on the skin. They also make an infusion of herbs, infusion of flowers, and also a cold infusion of foliage from cucumber grass.
Borage herb is widely used as food in American cuisine. Residents of the New World eat both flowers and foliage of cucumber grass: the leaves are placed in salads, where onions, spinach, lettuce and cucumbers are also present, and flowers are used as a natural flavoring agent for soft drinks and punch. Flowers are also used for food in a candied form, like candied fruits, while dried flowers are used as an additive, while they are put in confectionery and bakery products.
Contraindications
Means made on the basis of borage are recommended to drink no longer than 30 days, otherwise liver problems may begin. This herb should not be eaten for diseases of the digestive system, as well as for people with individual intolerance.
