PART 5: Better Safe than Sorry?

I take the cautions of Tyler and the others seriously. There are unanswered questions regarding BO safety. Regarding health, I prefer to err on the side of caution. At present, there is no agreed-upon standard method for testing pyrrolizidine content of BO. What should we ask of BO manufacturers?

• Every batch of BO should be tested by the most sensitive and accurate method available. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and, to verify results, Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) come to mind.


• More sensitive and more accurate methods need to be developed.


• Testing laboratories not affiliated with BO manufacturers or suppliers should carry out the tests.


• The testing method should be described in detail.


• The tests should be reproducible by other labs.


• The limits of detection should be included.


• The results should state whether unrefined or refined BO was tested.

Even so, tiny doses of some molecules, far below the threshold of detection, can have powerful effects on health. The entire field of homeopathy is based on this observation.

Caution is especially important in a situation where the effect of a toxin is cumulative and the product is ingested on a continuing basis, as is the case with BO and oil blends containing BO.

From what I've read, I cannot consider BO to be safe and non-toxic to humans at this time. Lack of proof of toxicity is not proof of safety. But check out the references, and judge for yourself.

---

Summary:

EPO and BO are not comparable. They are not mutually interchangeable. Their structural makeup is different. Research has shown differences in their chemistry and in their action. Their potential for toxic effects is different.

These differences between EPO and BO may help to explain why I use expeller-pressed, unrefined EPO in Udo's Choice Oil Blend, and why I cannot recommend nutritional products containing either unrefined or refined BO.

I do not like BO.

 

---

References:

1. Redden PR, Lin X, Fahey J, Horrobin DF Sterespecific analysis of the major triacylglycerol species containing gamma-linolenic acid in evening primrose oil and borage oil. Journal of Chromatography, 1995; 704: 99-101.
2. Fan Y-Y & Chapkin RS Importance of Dietary Gamma-Linolenic Acid in Human Health and Nutrition. Journal of Nutrition 1998 Sep; 128(9): 1411-14.
3. Gibson RA et al Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) content of encapsulated evening primrose oil products. Lipids 1992 Jan; 27(1): 82-4.
4. Barre DE, Holub BJ, Chapkin RS The effect of borage oil supplementation on human platelet aggregation, thromboxane B2, prostaglandin E1 and E2 formation. Nutritional Research 1993; 13: 739-751.
5. Belch JJ, Hill A Evening primrose oil and borage oil in rheumatologic conditions. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Jan 2000; 71 (1 suppl): 352S-6S.
6. Fan Y-Y, Chapkin RS Mouse peritoneal macrophage prostaglandin E1 synthesis in altered by dietary gamma-linolenic acid. Journal of Nutrition 1992; 122: 1600-1606.
7. Engler MM Comparative study of diets enriched with evening primrose, black current, borage or fungal oils on blood pressure and pressor responses in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1993 Oct; 49(4): 809-14.
8. Dines KC, Cotter MA, Cameron NE Effectiveness of natural oils as sources of gamma-linolenic acid to correct peripheral nerve conduction velocity abnormalities in diabetic rats. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1996 Sep; 55(3): 159-65.
9. Mills S & Bone K Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, London. 2000. Pp 364-5.
10. Integrative Medicine web site: www.onemedicine.com March 2000.
11. Erasmus U Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. Alive Books, Burnaby, Canada. 1993.
12. Lloyd, Ian Botanical Contraindication s and Drug Interactions: www.pharmacyconnects.com/content/phpost/2000/03-00/ce-03-00.html Jul 2001
13. Evening Primrose Oil-Toxicity Factors: www.sbwise.com/ingredients/eveningprimroseol.html Jun 2001
14. Horrobin DF Nutritional and medicinal importance of gamma-linolenic acid. Prog Lipid Res 1992; 31(2): 163-94.
15. Gamma-Linolenic Acid: www.mdadvice.com/library/vita/vitamin292.html Jul 2001
16. Evening Primrose Oil: www.gnc.co.uk/healthcentre/Supp/Evening_Primrose_Oil.htm Jun 2001
17. Cornell University Poison Plant web page: www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/alkaloids/pyrrolizidine.html Jul 2001
18. Cornell University Poison Plant web page: www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/manuel/alkaloid.htm Jun, 2001
19. USDA/ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory web page: www.pprl.usu.edu/pa.htm Jun 2001
20. Robbers JE & Tyler VE Tyler's Herbs of Choice: the Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals. The Hawthorn Herbal Press, Birmingham, NY. 1999. Pp 194 and 221-2.
21. Letter from Varro E Tyler, Dean and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, to the American Botanical Council's Wayne Silverman, July 24, 1998.
22. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids: www.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/faqs/natural/pyr.htm Jun 2001
23. Pyrrolizidine, Quinolizine, and Indolizidine Alkaloids: www.life.uiuc.edu/plantbio/363/lecture30.html Jun 2001
24. Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids: www.ansci.cornell.edu/courses/as625/1997term/Sopheak/pyrol625.htm Jun 2001
25. Med Nets Patient Information web page: www.mednets.com/pyrrolizidine.htm Jul 2001
26. Borage (Borage officinalis): www.gnc.co.uk/healthcentre/enc/Herb/Borage.htm Jul 2001
27. Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids and Borage Oil: www.bioriginal.com/bio_facts/pyrrolizidine.html Jul 2001
28. DeSmet PAGM. Safety of borage seed oil. Can Pharm J 1991. Vol 124, p 5.
29. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Phillipson JD Herbal Medicines: a Guide for Health-Care Professionals. The Pharmaceutical Press, London. 1996. p 49.
30. Parvais OB et al TLC detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in oil extracted form the seeds of Borago officinalis. Journal of Plant Chromatography Modern TLC 1994; 7(!): 80-2.
31. Mierendorff HJ Determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids by thin-layer chromatography in the oil of seeds of Borago officinalis. Fett Wissenschaft Technologie 1995; 97(1): 33-7.