Borage Oil (GLA)

Borago officinalis · gamma-linolenic acid · GLA · starflower oil

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms¹ Acne vulgaris² Asthma symptoms³ Postmenopausal blood pressure³	Liver disease³ Pregnancy or breastfeeding³ Anticoagulant therapy³

Borage oil, pressed from the seeds of Borago officinalis, is a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid thought to act through anti-inflammatory activity³. That effect drives its use as an adjunct for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and for acne lesions. People also take it for atopic eczema, where a Cochrane review found improvement similar to placebo, and for asthma symptoms, based on one small study³.

For rheumatoid arthritis, a Cochrane review rated the evidence for GLA-containing oils, borage included, as moderate for pain and disability relief¹. A Cochrane review of omega-6 fats, GLA among them, found little or no effect on cardiovascular events^{4, 5}. In women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, a 2023 randomized trial of fish oil plus evening primrose oil, another GLA source, found lower interleukin-6 at study end than placebo⁶. About 18,000 products listing borage oil are sold, nearly all softgels; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is hepatic: borage contains unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and liver injury risk rises with length of exposure and cumulative dose³. Per Memorial Sloan Kettering, products should be certified free of these alkaloids³.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

54 sources, 45 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources