Borage (Echium amoenum) is a large annual plant of the Boraginaceae family, which grows in most of Europe and in northern Iran. The borage flower is used as a medicinal herb in France and other countries.

Borage Oil - Mega-GLA 300 Source Naturals
The borage seed oil is extracted by a special cold press, which leaves no harmful residues and is HEXANE-FREE.

GLA ( gamma-linolenic acid ) is a fatty acid used by most cells in the body to produce soothing PGE1 prostaglandins. Borage seed oil provides one of the highest yields of GLA in the botanical kingdom (more than twice the GLA yield of evening primrose oil).

Click here if you wish to buy Borage oil Mega-GLA product by Source Naturals


Borage Seed Oil - Mega-GLA Supplement Facts:
Serving Size 1 softgel
Pure Borage Seed Oil - 1.3 g
Yielding gamma-Linolenic Acid - 300 mg (GLA)
Linolenic Acid (LA) - 477 mg
Oleic Acid -194 mg
Palmitic Acid - 112 mg

Borage oil or GLA daily value not established.

Recommended dosage: Take one boralge oil Mega-GLA capsule a day or as recommended by your health care provider.


Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including borage oil benefit, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Benefit of Borage Oil
Borage oil may improve skin health in the elderly. Borage oil may also have anti-inflammatory activity. The amount of rosmarinic acid in borage leaves is similar compared with Sage.

Borage seed oil research update
Effect of borage oil consumption on fatty acid metabolism, transepidermal water loss and skin parameters in elderly people.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2000 Mar-Apr;30(2):139-50.
Human skin is not able to biosynthesize gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3omega6) from the precursor linoleic acid (LA), or arachidonic acid (AA) from dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DHGLA). Dietary supplementation with GLA-rich seed oil of borage skips the step of hepatic 6-desaturation of fatty acids (FA) and, therefore, compensates the lack of these essential FA in conditions with impaired activity of delta 6-desaturase. Twenty-nine healthy elderly people (mean age 68.6 years), received a daily dose of 360 or 720 mg GLA for 2 months, using Borage oil in gelatine capsules (Quintesal 180, manufacturer Galderma Laboratorium GmbH, Freiburg, Germany). The effects of fatty acids derived from ingested borage oil capsules on skin barrier function were assessed by measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The consumption of borage oil induced a statistically significant improvement of cutaneous barrier function in the elderly people, as reflected in a mean decrease of 10.8% in the transepidermal water loss. Thirty-four percent of the people noted itch before borage oil consumption and 0% afterwards. Dry skin was claimed to be reduced from 42 to 14%, but no significant alteration of skin hydration was measured. The FA-composition of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids demonstrated an increase of GLA (+70%) and DHGLA (+18%) and a reduction of saturated and monounsaturated FA. There was no significant alteration in nervonic acid or in AA content, but an increase in the DHGLA/AA ratio (+23%). Thus, the consumption of borage oil by elderly people lead to alteration of FA metabolism and improved skin function.

Suppression of leukotriene B4 generation by ex-vivo neutrophils isolated from asthma patients on dietary supplementation with gammalinolenic acid-containing borage oil: possible implication in asthma.
Clin Dev Immunol. 2004 Mar;11(1):13-21. Ziboh VA, Naguwa S, Vang K, Wineinger J, Morrissey BM, Watnik M, Gershwin ME.
Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Dermatology, University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Davis
Dietary gammalinolenic acid (GLA), a potent inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and suppressor of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), can attenuate the clinical course of rheumatoid arthritics, with negligible side effects. Since Zileuton, also an inhibitor of 5-LOX, attenuates asthma but with an undesirable side effect, we investigated whether dietary GLA would suppress biosynthesis of PMN-LTB4 isolated from asthma patients and attenuate asthma. Twenty-four mild-moderate asthma patients (16-75 years) were randomized to receive either 2.0 g daily GLA (borage oil) or corn oil (placebo) for 12 months. Blood drawn at 3 months intervals was used to prepare sera for fatty acid analysis, PMNs for determining phospholipid fatty acids and for LTB4 generation. Patients were monitored by daily asthma scores, pulmonary function, and exhaled NO. Ingestion of daily GLA (i) increased DGLA (GLA metabolite) in PMN-phospholipids; (ii) increased generation of PMN-15-HETrE (5-LOX metabolite of DGLA). Increased PMN-DGLA/15-HETrE paralleled the decreased PMN generation of proinflammatory LTB4. However, the suppression of PMN-LTB4 did not reveal statistically significant suppression of the asthma scores evaluated. Nonetheless, the study demonstrated dietary fatty acid modulation of endogenous inflammatory mediators without side effects and thus warrant further explorations into the roles of GLA at higher doses, leukotrienes and asthma.

Efficacy and tolerability of borage oil in adults and children with atopic eczema: randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group trial.
BMJ. 2003 Dec 13;327(7428):1385.
To study the efficacy and tolerability of borage oil, which contains a high concentration of gamma linolenic acid, in children and adults with atopic eczema. CONCLUSION: Gamma linolenic acid is not beneficial in atopic dermatitis.

Borage oil questions
Q. I have a copy of the book " Win the War Within " by Floyd H Chilton PhD. He recommends supplementing with borage oil and GLA. Do you know this book?
   A. We are not familiar with this book.

Q. Can borage oil or Mega-GLA product be taken at the same time as fish oils?
   A. We don't see any reason why borage seed oil extract and fish oils cannot be taken the same day unless your health care provider is treating you for a specific condition where one or the other oil is of more benefit for you.

Q. Around a year ago I was supplementing with soy lecithin at 4 tablespoons per day, also I was taking borage oil at 3 grams per day. About a month or so after taking these two supplements together I broke out into a extreme painful fever with joint pains in all my joints. The fever lasted about 4 days but my joint inflammation has not improved. My doctor said it has nothing to do with supplements I took, but im really not sure what to believe. My doctor found I have hla b27 a marker for numerous autoimmune conditions. Recently he diagnosed me with reiters syndrome, since I also have extreme prostate inflammation. I am concerned these supplements could have started all of this since ive read high omega 6 diets lead to inflammation and autoimmune conditions. Id just like to know if I took to much omega 6. Borage oil is omega 6 as gla, and I was taking in around10 grams linoleic acid from lecithin. Was this too much to cause my fevers and joint inflammation for over a year now, id just like to know why they dont put warnings on this.
   A. It is impossible to know for sure whether the borage oil and soy lecithin had anything to do with your symptoms and the inflammation. There is a very, very small possibility they may have made an influence but more likely they did not play a major role.