Borage Aromatic Water as a Medicinal Drink: Chemical Composition Analysis of Different Populations in the Local Markets of Iran

Borage hydrosol has nutritional and medicinal benefits. Due to this hydrosol's widespread consumption, it is worthy of achieving a simple and reliable method to assess their quality. The present study evaluated ten market samples of Borage hydrosol in Fars province to determine their quality. Also, the hydrosol of a collected Borage was prepared in the lab to serve as a standard sample. Essential oils from hydrosols were yielded via liquid-liquid extraction procedure, injected into a gas chromatograph (GC), and respective compounds were identified. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), pH, and electrical conductivity were also analyzed. Results showed trans-Caryophyllene as the major compound in the standard sample and also in four of ten samples. Moreover, Cembrene A was found as the major ingredient in seven samples. Delta-Cadinol was one of the prominent constituents in three samples and also in the standard. Di-butyl phthalate, Thymol, and Carvacrol were found in some samples due to the poor quality of the container or the migration of monomers from the container's inner side into the hydrosol low-quality solvent. Essential oil extraction and identification with the mentioned method can be introduced as a simple quality control procedure. This study can be considered to identify and analyze volatile constituents in hydrosols distributed in the market.