Is Borage Poisonous? – Toxicity to Pets and Humans
Borage (Borago officinalis) is listed by the ASPCA as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, and the leaves contain compounds that pose liver risks to humans with chronic or large-quantity use. The flowers are eaten in cooking with low risk at culinary quantities. For pets, any ingestion warrants a call to a vet. This article explains where the line falls.
What Is Borage?
Borage is an annual herb with distinctive bright blue, star-shaped flowers. Native to the Mediterranean, it is widely grown in herb gardens across Europe and North America. The flowers are edible and appear in salads, as cake decorations, and as cocktail garnishes. Young leaves are sometimes added to foods, with a mild cucumber-like flavor. The stems and leaves are covered with stiff, bristly hairs.
Despite its culinary status, borage is not uniformly safe. Its risk profile differs significantly between the flowers and the rest of the plant, and between one-time culinary use and regular consumption.
What Parts Are Toxic?
The ASPCA identifies tannins and mucilage as the toxic principles in borage for pets. Borage also belongs to the Boraginaceae plant family, which as a group is known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). In borage, the PAs identified include amabiline, intermedine, and lycopsamine.
PA concentration varies across plant parts. Flowers contain the lowest levels. Leaves, stems, and roots contain higher amounts. This difference is the key to understanding the risk gradient for humans.
Symptoms
Dogs and cats:
The ASPCA lists vomiting, diarrhea, and dermatitis as the expected signs of borage ingestion in dogs and cats. These are primarily GI and skin-irritation effects from the tannins and the plant’s coarse bristles. Symptoms are typically self-limiting in mild cases. Contact your vet for guidance on any borage ingestion by a pet, as treatment may be needed to manage dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea.
Humans and children:
Occasional use of borage flowers in cooking is widely considered low risk. The PA content in the flowers is low, and normal culinary amounts are not associated with acute toxicity.
The concern shifts with the leaves and with regular, large-quantity consumption. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are hepatotoxic compounds. Chronic or high-dose PA exposure is associated with hepatic venoocclusive disease, a serious liver condition that can result in liver failure. This risk is not from garnishing a drink with a borage flower. It is from consuming large quantities of leaves or using borage as a daily supplement or herbal tea over extended periods.
Pregnant women and people with liver conditions should avoid borage leaves and any borage-containing supplements entirely. Children should not eat borage leaves, and should not consume borage in any form beyond small amounts of the flower used in food.
What to Do
- For pets that have eaten borage: call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
- For a child or adult who has eaten a significant quantity of borage leaves: call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (US), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- For casual culinary use of the flowers by an adult: no action needed unless symptoms appear.
- Before calling, note which part of the plant was eaten and how much.
Safe Handling
Borage stems and leaves have stiff, bristly hairs that can irritate skin, particularly in people who are sensitive. Wear gloves when pruning or handling the plant. Wash hands after contact with any part of it.
If you grow borage in a garden where children or pets are present, discourage eating the leaves. For adults, the flowers can be treated as low risk in normal culinary amounts. For pets and children, keep them away from the plant itself.
Avoid borage-containing supplements, herbal teas, and tonics if you are pregnant or have any liver condition. Read labels on herbal products carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are borage flowers safe to eat? For most adults in culinary amounts, yes. The flowers have low pyrrolizidine alkaloid content and are widely used as food. Eating the leaves regularly or in large quantities is a different matter.
Why does the ASPCA list borage as toxic? The ASPCA flags it for tannins, mucilage, and the GI upset and dermatitis these cause in dogs and cats. This is an accurate caution for pets even if the risk for occasional human use of the flowers is low.
Is borage safe during pregnancy? No. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are associated with fetal harm. Pregnant women should avoid borage leaves, borage supplements, and borage herbal teas entirely.
What does borage contact dermatitis look like? Red, itchy skin from contact with the plant’s bristly hairs. This is mechanical and chemical irritation rather than a systemic toxicity response. Rinse the area with water and soap. Most cases resolve without treatment.
Can my dog eat borage from the garden? Not safely. The ASPCA lists borage as toxic to dogs. If your dog eats borage, call your vet. The typical outcome from mild ingestion is GI upset, but it is not worth guessing at the dose.