Smallflower is our in-house, private label brand. We’re thrilled to bring you high quality herbs, home fragrances, gift bundles and more. Our goal is to create a modern apothecary experience by providing unique, hard-to-find personal care items and a compassionate customer experience that mirrors what you’ll find in our brick and mortar store, Merz Apothecary.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Brand Origin: Croatia
Borage - (Borago officinalis) is a common annual of the family Boraginaceae, native to the Eastern Mediterranean region and cultivated all over Europe, Great Britain and North America. Also known as Starflower, it grows up to 2 feet tall, with fuzzy stems and leaves topped with star-shaped droopy flowers.
The flowers and leaves have a mild, pleasant scent and flavor somewhat reminiscent of cucumbers. They are often used in salads, cooked as a vegetable or dried to use as seasoning or tea. Borage has a long history with herbalists as a medicine for the heart and spirit going all the way back to ancient Rome. At that time, Pliny the Elder often used it for the down and disheartened to inspire courage and give comfort. Other early folklore states that Borage could be placed in the hand of a potential mate to give him the courage to propose! For those of us in the modern world, dried Borage leaves can also make a lovely, mild-flavored tea to calm the mind and lift the spirits!
For many centuries, people from all over the globe have found fresh herbs to be a gentle yet effective health-enhancing blessing. These are our own hand packed loose herbs, packaged in old world apothecary style, air tight brown paper canisters to keep light and moisture out, and freshness in. Use in teas, tinctures, and elixirs.
As we continue to improve our loose herb and tea packaging, you may receive a canister with either label pictured above.