(Borago officinalis L.), a hardy annual, also called “starwort,” was once known as one of the four “cordial flowers most esteemed for cheering the spirits,” and it is most probably a native of Syria and other parts of the Mediterranean basin, but now naturalized in most parts of Europe.

The fresh herb has blue flowers with a cucumber-like fragrance and has been regularly used in herbal medicine since the time of the ancient Greeks. It has been said, notably by the Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides (ca. 40–90 AD; author of De Materia Medica), that the plant was the “Nepenthe” described by Homer in the fourth book of his Odyssey. Nepenthe literally means “medicine of sorrow,” or “the one that chases sorrow away,” on account of the fact that when it is taken with alcohol the imbiber is said to enter a state of absolute forgetfulness. In a similar vein, Pliny the Elder named the plant Euphrosinum because it was believed that it brought happiness and joy to the user.

Borage is widely used in traditional soups and salads throughout Europe, and it is particularly popular in the Liguria region of Italy, where it is used to fill ravioli and pansotti pastas. There are various suggestions for the naming of the plant, one being that it is derived from “barrach,” a Celtic word meaning “man of courage.” Another maintains that “borago” is a corruption of “corago” (which literally means “I bring heart”). As a medicinal herb, it has diuretic and emollient properties.

In northern Europe, borage has been used as a beer flavoring since medieval times, and was almost certainly sometimes a component of gruit, although the secrecy surrounding that beer component precludes absolute identification. An ancient drink known as “cool tankard” was made with wine (or strong beer), water, lemon, sugar, and the leaves and flowers of borage. The traditional version of the classic cocktail “Pimm’s Cup” includes a garnish of borage leaves, but these days most bartenders replace this with the more readily available slice of cucumber.

See also gruit.