Borago officinalis L. (Boraginaceae), commonly known as bee bread or borage, is a native to Europe, North Africa and Asia minor and cultivated in some countries including Iran, Turkey, Spain and India as ornament. Its leaves are useful as diuretic, demulcent, emollient and expectorant. Phytochemical investigation of its leaves led to the isolation of a new acyclic triterpenic ester, two fatty acid ester and a steroidal ester characterized 3,7,11,15,19,23- hexamethyl-n-tetracos-cis-6,cis-12-dien-18β,23-diol-1dodecanoate (boragoterpenyl laurate) (1), 4′β-hydroxynoncis- 6′-enyl-1′-octadecanoate (hydroxynonenyl stearate) (2), n-nonacosanyl-n-octanoate (n-nonacosanylcaprylate) (3) and stigmast-5,22-dien-3β-olyl-n-octadec-9′-enoate (boragosteryl oleate) (4). The structures of all the isolated phytoconstituents have been elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis and chemical reactions.
