PART 3: Unrefined or Refined?

Unrefined oils contain oil-soluble 'minor ingredients', which come from the oil seeds. Different seeds contain different kinds of 'minor ingredients'.

Beneficial 'minor ingredients' found in edible oils include vitamin E, carotene, phytosterols, lecithin, polyphenolic antioxidants, and many others.

Unpalatable but non-toxic 'minor ingredients" are found in neem oil, which is so bitter that it is used externally only.

Toxic 'minor ingredients' are present in many seeds. They make these seeds poisonous. Poisonous seeds and their oils should not be used as food.

'Minor ingredients' are removed from oils by processing called 'full refining' to produce 'RBD' (Refined, Bleached, Deodorized) or colorless, odorless, tasteless oils. RBD oil production requires treatment with NaOH (sodium hydroxide), then H₃PO₄ (phosphoric acid), then bleaching clays (which render oil rancid, imparting bad odor)³¹.

To remove the bad odor (deodorize), oils are heated up to 450�F (230�C). Both toxic and beneficial 'minor ingredients' are removed from oils during deodorization.¹¹

The 'minor ingredients' in unrefined EPO are good for health. They should remain in the oil. That's why I use unrefined, expeller-pressed EPO in Udo's Choice Oil Blend.

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Toxicity of EPO and BO

A search for toxicity of EPO came up with the following statements: "EPO appears to be safe for most people."¹² "EPO has a very low toxicity."¹³ "Unrefined EPO contains no known toxins."¹⁴ "Unlikely to threaten life or cause significant symptoms."¹⁵ "At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Evening Primrose Oil."¹⁶

BO, on the other hand, might contain traces of toxins always present in the borage plant and its seeds.

To protect against being eaten, borage plants make natural toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs)^17,18. Amounts of these vary throughout the plant and its life cycle¹⁹, and traces of PAs, found as 'minor ingredients' in borage seeds, might end up in BO^20,21. PAs protect borage¹⁹ by being toxic for animals and humans^20,21,22. These toxic alkaloids accumulate in tissues over time, and can result in liver, kidney, GI tract, and respiratory damage, cancer, and other serious problems^{17,18,23,24,25,26}.

Actual measurements of PAs have remained elusive, for several reasons. First, any substance present below the detection limit of the test used cannot be measured. Second, few tests have been carried out, and fewer have been published. Third, although every batch of BO should be tested for PAs, manufacturers and distributors do not usually do this.

So, are pyrrolizidines present in BO? No one knows. The presence of undetectable quantities is likely. No one knows the cumulative effects of long term use of BO.

Is there enough doubt here to not want to chance the use of BO? Read the literature, and decide for yourself. EPO contains no PAs or other toxins.

Of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) found in borage and its seeds, at least one (amabiline) is toxic.

If unrefined BO contains traces of toxic PAs, a fully refined BO would likely contain less of them. Unfortunately, the processing used to make RBD oils changes some molecules from natural and beneficial to unnatural and toxic. In other words, unrefined BO may contain one kind of toxin, while refined BO contains other kinds of toxins. That's why I don't use either unrefined or refined BO.

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