Flax Seeds

Western Bulk Herbs – Flax Seeds

Flax seed is used to relieve pain and tissue damage caused by various diseases such as colon damage caused by laxative abuse. It can be used to draw out blood when used in a poultice and a warm compress to relieve inflammation pain. The oil is good for brain health not only in adults but in newborns and unborn children.

Latin Name:
Linum usitatissimum

Common Names:
Linseed, Annual Flax, Common Flax, Ama, and Linseed Flax.

Parts Used:
Seed, whole or ground into a meal.

Properties:
Emollient, demulcent, pectoral

Traditional Uses:
Tea, oil, tincture, whole seeds, and capsules.

Topical Uses / Applications:
N/A

Culinary Uses:
Used ground in breads and baking goods but the seeds can also be used as toppings for salad or to thicken soup. You can also sprout the seed for and amazing nutty flavor to add to sandwiches, salads, and soups.

Chemical Properties:
0-60% alpha-linolenic acid, extremely concentrated source of lignans

Cautions:
Do not use Flax during early pregnancy. If you are using the seeds in a poultice, avoid getting the seed in open wounds. Do not use if there is intestinal or bowel obstruction as flax is a bulk-forming laxative and could further aggravate the impaction. Avoid if there is acute inflammation of the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. Avoid if there is iron-deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, or chronic mineral malnutrition. May inhibit the absorption of some oral drugs.

Folk Lore:
Flax seed has been around for centuries and is used for many different things. It what they used to make linen out of, they use it for making money, the oil is used to polish furniture, the stocks of flax is used for rope and other various items.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.