HERBS FOR COURAGE AND CLARITY
Borage is an herb known for its ability to engender courage and bring cheer to a weary heart and Spirit. Wisteria helps to bring clarity to vexing issues and helps you retain memories and focus on the tasks at hand. The best way to absorb the magical qualities of these herbs is by eating them in culinary dishes or drinking them in refreshing beverages. There are many recipes for both below that you can easily make yourself.
Borage
(Borago officinalis)
Traditional sayings about Borage such as “I, Borage bring courage” and “Borage gladdens the heart” go back at least to the Middle Ages. The Latin name Borago is derived from corrago, with the root cor meaning “heart,” and ago meaning “I lead.”
Dioscorides, the ancient Greek master physician and herbalist, said that Borage “cheers the heart and helps drooping spirits.” Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist, called Borage Euphrosynum, after Euphrosyne, Goddess of Joy and Mirth, because it made people merry and joyful.
In his book Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, Richard Folkard says:
In former days, Borage (Borago officinalis) was noted as one of the four “cordial flowers” most deserving of esteem for cheering the spirits—the other three being the Rose, Violet, and Alkanet. . . . All the old herbalists praise the plant for its exhilarating effects, and agree with Pliny that when put into wine the leaves and flowers of Borage make men and women glad and merry, driving away all sadness, dullness, and melancholy. The “cool tankard” of our forefathers was a beverage composed of the young shoots and blossoms of Borage mingled with wine, water, lemon, and sugar.1
Cheerful blue Borage has a reputation for instilling bravery and a positive outlook. As my teacher William LeSassier taught: it doesn’t heal the physical heart so much as it helps heal the emotional pain that damages the heart.
Here are a few recipes that Kitchen Witches can use to ingest the courage and joy of Borage.
Borage Sun and Moon Flower Tea*55
1 part pansy/heartsease flowers
2 parts holy basil leaves and flowers
2 parts borage flowers
1 part lemon balm flowers and leaves
2 parts lavender flowers
Raw local honey
Organic lemon
Place the flowers and leaves in a glass jar. Cover with water, cap, and allow to steep in the warm sun and moon for 1 day and 1 night (use a sunny window if you don’t have a garden). Do this at the waxing or full moon.
Or put them in a pot, barely cover them with water, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then steep for 5 to 10 minutes. (Don’t steep for too long or the flowery flavor will be lost.) Add honey or lemon to taste. Take up to 4 cups a day.
Borage Lemonade*56
¼ cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw local honey
2 cups water
3 to 4 young borage leaves
Place all of the ingredients in the blender. Liquefy the ingredients, then strain. Serve chilled with fresh borage flowers as a garnish.
For something a little stronger that can be served in the ritual cup, try the following cordial.
Borage Cordial*57
3 to 5 young borage leaves
Ice cubes or borage flowers frozen into ice cubes
1 shot of gin, vodka, or white rum
1 tablespoon raw organic cane sugar melted in hot water (simple syrup)
Club soda or sparkling water
Organic lemon wedges
Bruise the leaves with your mortar and pestle, then place them in a goblet. Add the ice, gin, and sugar water, then add the club soda and a lemon wedge. If you use plain ice cubes, garnish with fresh borage flowers.
For a larger crowd of May Day revelers, try the following recipe.
Borage Punch*58
5/8 cup natural fruit brandy
1/8 cup raw organic cane sugar
3¼ cups organic dry white wine
⅝ cup organic orange juice
3¼ cup organic champagne or organic sparkling wine, chilled
1 cup organic lemonade
1 cup organic, natural ginger ale
¼ cup fresh borage leaves, chopped
1 cup crushed ice
Fresh borage flowers for garnish, or borage flower ice cubes
Organic orange slices
Combine the brandy, sugar, wine, and orange juice. Keep chilled until right before serving.
When you are ready to serve, combine the brandy mixture with the chilled champagne, lemonade, ginger ale, and borage leaves. Add the crushed ice. Serve chilled with borage flowers or borage flower ice cubes.
In addition to lending you courage, borage can also provide healing. It is anti-inflammatory and is used as a poultice to soothe inflammations and as an eye wash for inflamed eyes (always filter herbal tea through an organic coffee filter or layers of cheesecloth before putting it into your eyes).
Borage herb and flower tea is calming to the nerves and can lower fevers and strengthen the body and Spirit after a long convalescence. The leaves and seeds increase breast milk in nursing moms. To make the tea: Steep 6 teaspoons of fresh or 3 teaspoons of dry leaves per ½ cup of water for 5 minutes.2 You can also eat the fresh leaves and flowers in salads and sandwiches, incorporate them into drinks, or candy the flowers.
Borage seed oil has been found to be effective in treating acute respiratory distress, improving growth and the nervous system in infants, especially boys, and easing rheumatoid arthritis pain and inflammation.
CAUTION: Borage is not for long-term use. Some people experience contact dermatitis from this plant. It is mildly diuretic, and people with incontinence issues should be aware of that. Borage seed oil should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding mothers. If you have a bleeding disorder or liver disease, avoid Borage in medicinal doses. Stop taking it 2 weeks before a planned surgery.3
Borage at Beltaine
Add cheerful blue Borage flowers to a salad for the Beltaine feast. Float Borage blossoms in the ritual cup and in other drinks.
Wisteria
(Wisteria sinensis)
Magical Wisteria enchants us with hanging blossoms that appear in May. A vigorous and tenacious vine, Wisteria brings persistence, clarity, mental retention, and focus to your projects. Wear the scent or drink the flower tea before a big exam or any test of mental endurance.
Kitchen Witches can assimilate the focus and clarity of Wisteria by making drinks with the blossoms, adding the flowers to a salad or using them to make spring rolls, candying the blossoms, or garnishing a cake or cupcakes with the fresh blooms.
CAUTION: Only the flowers are edible! The seeds, pods, stems, and leaves are poisonous.
As with all wild edibles, try just a few at first to see how they affect your system. Eating large amounts of Wisteria blossoms is not advised. Also remember that bees and other critters depend on the flowers. Never strip all the blossoms from a bush or vine!
Following is a slightly alcoholic (2 to 3 percent alcohol) cordial recipe that works for highly fragrant, edible, spring-blooming flowers like Wisteria. Needless to say, the flowers should come from a garden or wilderness area that has not been sprayed. Avoid picking under power lines, for example, as electric companies often spray weed killers under them. Also avoid flowers from a roadside; pick 500 to 1,000 feet from a road so car exhaust hasn’t reached the blooms.
Wisteria Blossom Cordial*59
4 cups fresh-picked organic wisteria blossoms, sepals and stems removed
8 cups water
4 cups raw organic cane sugar
¾ cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
Place the flowers in a large glass or nonreactive container (i.e., not plastic or aluminum).
Place the sugar and water in a pot on the stove. Warm the water just enough to dissolve the sugar in the water. Whisk as you do this.
Pour the sugar-water mixture over the flowers. Add the lemon juice and stir (the flowers will float upward). Cover the container with a breathable top like a clean cloth or linen towel and secure it with a string or rubber band. Do not cap!
Stir or shake the mixture gently every 12 hours. Start taste-testing the syrup after 48 hours. Exactly when it’s ready is subjective and will vary based on indoor temperature and the activity of resident microbes in the mix. It generally takes 3 days, more or less.
Once you are satisfied with the taste, pour the mixture through a strainer lined with cheesecloth and into another large container. Capture the flowers in the strainer. Squeeze out the strained flowers by hand, adding the expressed juice to the mix, then compost the flowers.
Pour the final syrup into jars or bottles and refrigerate immediately to make the microbes go dormant and halt the fermentation process. Refrigerated, sparkling flower syrup can last for months. The drink will be slightly alcoholic. If you want something a bit stronger try adding a little vodka before serving.
Another way to ingest the magical powers of Wisteria is through the following spring roll recipe, which incorporates Wisteria and Redbud flowers (Cercis canadensis). Nasturtium flowers (Tropaeolum majus) and Bachelor Buttons (Centaurea cyanus) work well together too, but young children and anyone with gastrointestinal issues should avoid Nasturtium flowers as they are quite spicy.
Wisteria and Redbud Spring Rolls*60
Makes 4 rolls
4 cups water
One package of thin rice noodles
4 to 8 rice paper wrappers†61
1 cup organic chickweed leaves and flowers, freshly picked
½ cup organic wisteria flowers, freshly picked
2 tablespoons organic redbud flowers, freshly picked
A handful of organic basil and/or cilantro leaves
Bring water to a boil in a pan, then remove from the heat. Add the rice noodles and let soak for ten minutes. Rinse the rice noodles with cool water and drain.
Lay out the flowers and leaves in individual piles to facilitate assembly.
Fill a large bowl with hot water to soak the rice papers. Soak one wrapper at a time for 5 to 10 seconds. After soaking lay each wrapper on a towel and place the leaves, flowers, and herbs on top. (Lay out the flowers first, so they’ll be on the outside and thus more visible.) Fold the sides in and roll up carefully. Serve with the following dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
4 tablespoons organic jelly
1 teaspoon organic ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon organic garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon naturally fermented tamari (substitute with sea salt if necessary)
1 teaspoon vinegar
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon basil leaves, crushed
Add everything except the basil to a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Add the basil, let sit for 10 minutes, and strain.
In addition to helping to clear and focus the mind, Wisteria has a few properties geared toward healing the body as well. Wisteria flower extracts have antioxidant and antibacterial properties.4 The seeds, which must be cooked, are diuretic and used to treat heart problems in Chinese medicine; it’s probably best to leave the seeds to Chinese medicine experts.5
CAUTION: The seeds of Wisteria sinensis are toxic if eaten raw and may cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea. The pods are also toxic.6
Wisteria at Beltaine
Float Wisteria flowers in the ritual cup and sprinkle them on a salad, cupcakes, or cake for the Beltaine feast.