Sara de Mundo Lo sent an article from the 26 October 99 issue of The New York Times, which is summarized as follows:

Research findings on the administration of an herb to treat a deadly lung condition were presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. The disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, can result from trauma (as a car accident) and infection, as well as other causes, and has a fatality rate as high as 70 percent. Mayo Clinic researchers report that among 150 hospital patients who had oil from borage seeds administered through tubes to their stomachs, the death rate dropped by about 35 percent. A second study involving fewer patients had similar results and researchers plan to continue their studies.

Also enclosed was a description of borage from the Encyclopedia Britannica:

An herb (Borago officinalis) with bright blue flowers and hairy leaves and stem, grown as a potherb, medicinal and honey plant. It is used also in salads and as a flavouring in claret cup and other drinks to which it imparts a cool, cucumberlike bouquet. A native of the eastern Mediterranean region, borage has become naturalized in various parts of Europe, Great Britain and North America.

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