About Buglossoides arvensis (L.) I.M.Johnst.
Buglossoides arvensis (synonym Lithospermum arvense), which has the common names field gromwell, corn gromwell, bastard alkanet, and stone seed, is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, ranging north to Korea, Japan and Russia, and south to Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. It is an introduced species in many other regions, including most of North America and Australia. The European Union has granted novel food status to the refined seed oil of Buglossoides arvensis, and some farmers grow the species commercially in the United Kingdom as a plant-variety patented (PVP) and trademarked cultivar called Ahiflower®. The seed oil contains 63 to 72% total of the fatty acids omega-3 ALA (c18:3), omega-3 SDA (c18:4), and omega-6 GLA (c18:3). This oil holds GRAS (generally regarded as safe) review status from the US Food and Drug Administration, Canadian ingredient master file (IMF) registration and novel food status, and GMP+ Feed Support Product status in the EU for livestock and companion animals, including for defatted expeller press cake meal. The seed oil also has TGA Australia approval for use in Complementary Medicines, ANVISA/MAPA Brazil approval for human and animal food use, and limited food use approvals in Korea and Japan. Peer-reviewed published human clinical research from controlled dietary intervention trials on refined Buglossoides arvensis oil shows it produces up to 400% more efficient omega-3 EPA (c20:5) accrual in circulating cells than flaxseed oil. The oil has also been shown to significantly upregulate the cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated macrophages by 40% compared to a control group. IL-10 is an immune modulatory signaling cytokine that moderates the inflammatory response after intensive exercise or immune challenge. Refined Buglossoides arvensis oil has also been found to endogenously form omega-3 DHA (C22:6) in mammals with comparable efficiency to pure marine DHA, and maintains similar DHA levels in the brain and liver. Recent peer-reviewed research has also shown that the oil promotes the survival of live probiotics traveling to the small intestine in the TIMS-1 simulated gut, contributes beneficially to an anti-neuroinflammation response in vitro, and acts synergistically to improve executive function and cognitive flexibility in healthy adults. Based on its fatty acid composition, refined Buglossoides arvensis oil naturally provides the body with a more diverse set of anti-inflammatory omega-3 and omega-6 (via GLA) substrates than those from preformed EPA/DHA sources, including SDA, ETA (C20:4n-3), GLA, and DGLA (C20:3n-6). Seeds of Buglossoides arvensis have been found in Ukrainian archeological sites dating back to 4000 BC, where they were stored in clay pots, though the purpose and original use of these seeds has not been determined. In modern European arable agriculture, Buglossoides arvensis often occurs as a weed, and has poor competitive and non-invasive characteristics.
