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Dietary supplement

Borage Flower Essence Ingredients & Drug Interactions

by Flower Essence Services

Borage Flower Essence label
See full label image
Liquid Category: Botanical
Most serious interaction: Moderate
Clinical methodology reviewed by · Updated Sep 16, 2026 · Label data from the NIH DSLD
What is this page for?

First and foremost: checking Borage Flower Essence against your medications. The heart of this page is the interaction checker and the full interaction report — how this product’s ingredients may interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines you may be taking.

Around that, we add a pharmacist’s high-level view of the product as a whole — what’s inside, the evidence for its stated use, how transparent the label is, and what safety data exists — so you can see the full picture in one place. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases and the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist — not medical advice — and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

The interaction bottom line Most serious interaction: Moderate

Borage Flower Essence is a dietary supplement by Flower Essence Services with 1 active ingredient. Its ingredients are commonly taken for eczema and dry skin, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation.Based on those ingredients, 226 medications have a known interaction with it, the most serious rated moderate. The ingredients most likely to interact are infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis. Use the checker below to test your specific medication, or read the full HelloPharmacist Interaction Report.

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Check Your Meds Against Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services

Ask about any prescription or over-the-counter medication and we check it for interactions with Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services — and tell you which ingredient is responsible.

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HelloPharmacist Scorecard of Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services

Our pharmacy team’s full take, with four database checks built into the cards below — a summary of what is known, not a grade of the product itself.

From our pharmacy team — supplement deep dive

Generated from HelloPharmacist’s pharmacist-curated databases and editorial rules · Last generated Jul 16, 2026

What’s inside

Low disclosure
Ingredient Transparency · database check
Low

Most active ingredients don't disclose an individual amount — you can't tell how much of each you're getting.

Why this rating?
  • The label discloses an exact amount for 0 of its 1 active ingredient.

This product contains one active ingredient: an infusion of borage flower (Borago officinalis) at a 1:6000 ratio — meaning the plant material has been steeped in liquid to extract its components. The inactive ingredients are water and brandy, which serve as the carrier liquid.

Does it work?

Couldn't assess
Evidence for Intended Use · database check
By FDA rules, dietary supplements can’t claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease — so labels speak in careful marketing language. We discern each product’s intended use from its name, label claims, and label statements, then grade the clinical evidence for that use. How these ratings are computed
Not assessable

This is a single-ingredient Borage product and its label doesn't state a use — see Borage's own graded uses on its monograph.

Why this rating?
  • We looked at the product name, claims, and label statements and couldn't find a stated purpose to grade.

The evidence for borage flower essence is limited. For eczema (atopic dermatitis), it's rated possibly ineffective — meaning studies so far don't show it helps.

For ADHD, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and alcoholism, there isn't enough reliable evidence to know whether it works. The data we hold doesn't support any proven benefit for this product.

The evidence, ingredient by ingredient Borage

How safe is it?

Well-documented data
Safety Information · database check
Well characterized

Adverse-effect, pregnancy, and general safety data are on file for most of these ingredients.

Why this rating?
  • We hold adverse-effect (side-effect) data for 1 of the 1 matched ingredient.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding safety ratings cover 1 of 1.
  • General safety write-ups exist for 1 of 1.
  • Remember: this measures how much safety information exists. Thin data is not the same as being safe.

Borage seed oil on its own is generally well tolerated and causes only mild digestive upset — belching, bloating, soft stools, or diarrhea — in most people. However, borage plant parts including the flower can contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (hepatotoxic alkaloids), which are liver toxins.

Chronic exposure to these compounds can cause serious liver disease. The safety data advises against use during pregnancy because of the possible liver-toxic alkaloids and theoretical risk to the uterus.

Because of alkaloid contamination concerns and insufficient safety data otherwise, this product is best avoided, especially during breastfeeding.

Side effects, ingredient by ingredient Borage

Meds to double-check

Moderate interaction found
Known Interaction Concern · database check
Moderate identified

The most serious documented interaction for these ingredients is Moderate. Check your medications for a personalized result.

Why this rating?
  • 1 of the 1 matched ingredient can interact with medications — Borage.
  • The most serious interaction on file is rated Moderate.
  • Some involve high-stakes drug classes: anticoagulant / antiplatelet drugs.
  • For scale: 227 individual medications appear in the full list. A big number alone doesn't make a product dangerous — what matters is whether YOUR medication is on it, so run yours through the interaction checker on this page.

Before taking this product, check with your doctor or pharmacist if you take blood thinners or antiplatelet drugs (such as warfarin or aspirin) — borage may increase bleeding risk. Also confirm if you're on phenothiazine antipsychotics (such as chlorpromazine) or medications that induce the liver enzyme CYP3A4, as borage may raise the risk of seizures or toxic metabolite buildup with those drugs.

Check your own medication Run your meds through the checker above

The bottom line

Scorecard at a glanceFormula with limited ingredient disclosure with no assessable stated purpose. Moderate medication interactions have been identified, and safety information is well characterized.

This product's flower infusion contains compounds that interact with blood thinners, seizure medications, and certain enzyme-inducing drugs. More importantly, borage plant parts can contain liver-toxic alkaloids that pose a real safety risk.

Because the evidence for its effectiveness is weak or absent and the safety profile carries real concerns, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before using it — especially if you take any prescription medications or have liver problems.

Educational only — not medical advice; always confirm with your pharmacist. Our editorial policy · How we use AI

Assessment coverage: 1 of 1 active ingredient matched to our full ingredient reviews (monographs). Based on the product label dated Jan 24, 2014.

This Scorecard evaluates available label information, ingredient evidence, and known medication-safety considerations. It does not independently verify product identity, purity, potency, contamination, or manufacturing quality. How these ratings are computed

At a glance

General information

Key facts about Borage Flower Essence, straight from the product label.

Brand Flower Essence Services
Barcode (UPC) 782932120079
Net contents 0.25 fl. Oz.; 7.5 mL
Market status On market
Date entered into DSLD Jan 24, 2014
DSLD ID 29709
Product type Botanical
Supplement form Liquid
Dietary claims / uses No Claim
Intended target group(s) Adult (18 - 50 Years), Organic
From the label
Everything in this section is reproduced from the manufacturer’s own product label — it’s the label speaking, not HelloPharmacist. We show it so you can see exactly what the maker states; we don’t verify or endorse those statements.

Supplement Facts

The label details for Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services, sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

Daily Value (DV) Target Group(s):
Adults and children 4 or more years of age
Minimum serving Sizes:
4 Drop(s)
Maximum serving Sizes:
4 Drop(s)
UPC/BARCODE
782932120079
IngredientAmount% DV
infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis0 NP--

Other ingredients: Water, brandy

Tap any ingredient to jump to its full detail below.

Label statements
These statements are the manufacturer’s wording, reproduced from the product label — the label is saying it, not HelloPharmacist. We don’t verify or endorse them.
FDA Statement of Identity

herbal supplement

General Statements

BEST BY 02/2022 120228

Suggested/Recommended/Usage/Directions

Suggested use: four drops, four times daily

Seals/Symbols

FES Quintessentials(TM)

DEMETER(R)

Formulation

Certified organic by Stellar Certification Services, Inc.

Brand IP Statement(s)

Demeter-certified Biodynamic(R)

General

120228

Is this label outdated? Report a formula or label change and our pharmacy team will review it.

See for yourself

Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services label

The label scan from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Tap to enlarge.

Borage Flower Essence label

Label images are published by the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database for the version of this product on file. Always read your actual product label.

View the full label (PDF)
What’s inside

The Ingredients in Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services

This is the 1 active ingredient this product is made of. Select it to open its full monograph.

Serving size4 Drop(s) Dosage formLiquid Amounts shown are per serving.

Infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis

Interacts with
226 drugs
0 NP per serving

Borage is a Mediterranean herb whose seed oil is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid studied mostly for skin conditions and arth...

Infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis monograph & interactions

Other (inactive) ingredients: Water, Brandy. These complete the product’s ingredient list but are not active constituents.

Interaction report

Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services Drug Interactions

Want to check YOUR meds against Borage Flower Essence?

Ask about interactions with your drugs in plain English — “Can I take it with lisinopril?” — and we find you the answer in seconds, ingredient by ingredient.

 Go to the checker
226Drugs
226 Moderate

Ingredients driving the most interactions

infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis 226

Individual Drug Interactions

The ingredients in Borage Flower Essence interact with 226 drugs. Click any drug to see the details.

1 of the 1 ingredient in Borage Flower Essence interact with drugs. Each result below shows which ingredient is responsible. infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis

Each ingredient & the kinds of drugs it affects

For each ingredient in Borage Flower Essence with known interactions, here are the types of medications it can affect. Open any type for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis3 drug types · 226 drugs

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, borage seed oil may increase the risk of bleeding if used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In healthy individuals, borage seed oil supplementation does not seem to affect platelet aggregation. However, gamma-linolenic acid, a constituent of borage seed oil, seems to decrease platelet aggregation by 45% and increase the risk of bleeding by 40% in animal and clinical research.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B
Cytochrome P450 3A4 (Cyp3A4) Inducers

Theoretically, taking borage with drugs that induce CYP3A4 might increase levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) toxic metabolites.
Although borage seed oil contains little to no PAs, some borage plant parts, such as the leaf, flower, and seed, can contain hepatotoxic PAs. Hepatotoxic PAs are substrates of CYP3A4, which converts these chemicals into toxic metabolites. Tell patients to avoid borage preparations that are not certified and labeled as hepatotoxic PA-free.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Phenothiazines

Theoretically, taking borage sed oil with phenothiazines might increase the risk of seizures.
Borage seed oil contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). There is concern that taking supplements containing GLA might cause seizures, or lower the seizure threshold, when taken with phenothiazines. This is based on limited data from two reports published in the 1980s. In one report, three patients with schizophrenia who had received phenothiazines developed EEG changes suggestive of temporal lobe epilepsy after starting treatment with evening primrose, another source of GLA. However, none experienced an actual seizure. In the other report, two patients with schizophrenia who were stabilized on phenothiazines developed seizures when evening primrose 4 grams daily was added. One of these patients had a prior history of seizures. It is unclear whether evening primrose had any additive epileptogenic effects with the phenothiazines, but there is no evidence that taking GLA-containing supplements alone can cause seizures.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
infusion (1:6000) of Borago officinalis full monograph & interactions
The maker

Brand information

Manufacturer and brand details for Borage Flower Essence, from the product label.

Flower Essence Services

See all Flower Essence Services products
Phone Number
800-548-0075
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services: Common Questions

Does Borage Flower Essence by Flower Essence Services interact with any medications?
Yes. Based on its ingredients, Borage Flower Essence has a known interaction with 226 medications. Use the checker to see how it interacts with a specific drug.
How can one product interact with so many drugs?
Borage Flower Essence contains a single active ingredient, and that one ingredient can interact with many different medications on its own. We check it against each medication and show the mechanism responsible.
Where does this information come from?
The product label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD); the interaction data is built on the Natural Medicines database and reviewed by HelloPharmacist pharmacists.
Is borage flower safe during pregnancy?
No. The safety data advises against use during pregnancy because borage contains liver-toxic alkaloids and carries a theoretical risk to the uterus. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before using any borage product if you're pregnant or planning to be.
What side effects might I experience?
The most common are mild digestive complaints: belching, bloating, soft stools, and diarrhea. A rare but serious concern is liver damage from pyrrolizidine alkaloids in borage leaf, flower, and seed — chronic exposure can cause veno-occlusive disease, a condition that enlarges the liver and causes serious complications.
Does borage flower essence help with eczema?
The evidence doesn't support it. For eczema, borage is rated possibly ineffective, meaning studies haven't shown it works for this condition.
Can I take this if I'm on blood thinners?
You should check with your doctor or pharmacist first. Borage may increase your bleeding risk when combined with blood thinners like warfarin or antiplatelet drugs like aspirin, though this risk is moderate.
What exactly is in this product?
It's a borage flower infusion — the flower steeped in water and brandy to extract its components. It's not the seed oil form (which has fewer alkaloids), so it does contain the liver toxins borage is known for.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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Label information is sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and reflects the product version on file; always read your actual product label. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Confirm with your pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements and medications.

Borage Flower Essence label
Go deeper

The Full Monographs Behind Borage Flower Essence’s Ingredients

Every ingredient we hold a full HelloPharmacist monograph for — uses, evidence, safety, and the complete interaction list.

Herb & supplement monograph

Borage

Interacts with 226 drugs

Borage is a Mediterranean herb whose seed oil is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid studied mostly for skin conditions and arthritis with mixed results. The plant's le...

Read the full Borage monograph →
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Borage Flower Essence's label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; the ingredient interaction data is from the Natural Medicines database, reviewed by our pharmacists.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

The 11 references behind this product’s interaction data

Every citation that drives the interaction findings for this product’s ingredients, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Open an ingredient to browse its citations — links open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

Borage 11 references
  1. Guivernau M, Meza N, Barja P, Roman O. Clinical and experimental study on the long-term effect of dietary gamma-linolenic acid on plasma lipids, platelet aggregation, thromboxane formation, and prostacyclin production. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty A PubMed
  2. WHO working group. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Environmental Health Criteria, 80. WHO: Geneva, 1988.
  3. Fan YY, Chapkin RS. Importance of dietary gamma-linolenic acid in human health and nutrition. J Nutr 1998;128:1411-4.
  4. Takwale A, Tan E, Agarwal S, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of borage oil in adults and children with atopic eczema: randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group trial. BMJ 2003;327:1385. PubMed
  5. Chojkier M. Hepatic sinusoidal-obstruction syndrome: toxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. J Hepatol 2003;39:437-46. PubMed
  6. Roeder E. Medicinal plants in Europe containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Pharmazie 1995;50:83-98.
  7. Wang YP, Yan J, Fu PP, Chou MW. Human liver microsomal reduction of pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxides to form the corresponding carcinogenic parent alkaloid. Toxicol Lett 2005;155:411-20. PubMed
  8. Holman CP and Bell AF. A trial of evening primrose oil in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia. J Orhtomolecular Psych 1983;12:302-304.
  9. Vaddadi KS. The use of gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic acid to differentiate between temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia. Prostaglandins Med 1981;6(4):375-379. PubMed
  10. Bard, J. M., Luc, G., Jude, B., Bordet, J. C., Lacroix, B., Bonte, J. P., Parra, H. J., and Duriez, P. A therapeutic dosage (3 g/day) of borage oil supplementation has no effect on platelet aggregation in healthy volunteers. Fundam.Clin.Pharmacol. 1997;1
  11. Puri BK. The safety of evening primrose oil in epilepsy. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids 2007;77:101-3. PubMed

See these in context on the Borage monograph →

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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