Borage and Statin Drugs
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Sandy
Posted on: December 17, 2006

What is borage? How does it interact with Lipitor?

Borage is a flowering plant. The leaves are used medicinally to support the adrenal glands in stress conditions, and as an anti-inflammatory in lung inflammation. Borage leaf contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are toxic to the liver in large amounts. Refined borage seed oil, the product that you are likey referring to, does not contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Unfortunately, most borage seed oil is extracted using toxic chemicals. Evening primrose oil is a safe alternative.

Lipitor, a statin drug used to reduce cholesterol, reduces inflammation in the walls of the arteries. Borage oil works to decrease inflammation, and is used for this purpose as part of a natural cholesterol-reducing program. See www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html for information on how statin drugs work in the body and the part that borage oil can play in natural cholesterol reduction.

I doubt that there would be a negative interaction between borage and Lipitor, but I advise you to read about all of the negative side effects of statin drugs before making a decision whether to take or to continue to take it.

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