Flax seed is a kitchen staple in many homes but it also has beneficial properties. Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, flax is a common dietary supplement. It is rich in oils and fiber and useful to relieve pain and inflammation.
Flax is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Like most agricultural plants, it originated in the Middle East and travelled around the world with human migration. The book: “The Essential Flax, a compendium of diet reference information, facts, folklore, recipes, and research” says of flax:
The heroine of our story has a history that is veiled in the mists of time and a future that is following a rising star. She has graced royalty, anointed the holy and has always been humbled to serve the poor. She has traveled the world and has settled throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and in both North and South America. She has been the subject of ancient hieroglyphics and pictographs and now we examine her at the cellular level using the most advanced technology. Her praises have been sung in poetry, her story told in fable, and today she is the subject of sophisticated scientific and medical journals. She has been studied by herbalists and now sees her name in the modern pharmacopoeia asserted as the quintessential functional food. She is proclaimed, not only as one of the foundation crops of humankind but also as the “bio-economy crop” of the 21st century.
From the flax plant, we get linen fiber, flax seed, and flax oil for food, linseed oil for wood finishing, linoleum for flooring, flax jelly to cure colds, plus flax waste for mulch, and to reinforce particleboard. Flax is being used not just in clothing, but in car parts, fibreglass, and plastics. It is also used in paper money and in artist’s canvases. Flax thread is the original rope, used in the fishing industry and the navy because it is stronger when wet. The sails of ships and Viking vessels were made of linen, again because it is stronger when wet.
In ancient Egypt flax was revered. Legend says it was the first thing the gods created for themselves. – Linda Heinrich Magic of Linen
Flax is soothing to irritated skin and mucus membranes, emollient, purgative, laxative, and vermifuge. – The Essential Flax.
It was so important during Medieval times that the fields of flax were protected. And monks compiled compendiums of the medicinal benefits of flax in monastery libraries. We continue to rely on this information today.
Flax seed benefits
Flax seed is a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, as well as niacin, folic acid, and vitamin E. 24% of the oil in flax seed is Omega 3. It is also a good source of protein and dietary fiber. Because of this Health Canada recommends that 2 tbsp. of ground flaxseed (1 ounce) be added to your food daily.
It is best to store flax seed as a whole seed. Flax, being rich in liquid oils, goes rancid quickly once it is ground. In its whole form, it is protected from rancidity. I buy a 20 kg. bag every fall, when the flax harvest comes in and store it in a metal can, in my cold room. Once a week I put a quart of flax seed through my Vitamix blender to grind it. Then store this in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge. I add this to granola, oatmeal, bread dough to give my family the added Omega 3 fats that flax contributes.
In Flanders ashes (collected on Ash Wednesday) from burned branches and occasionally old liturgical linens were mixed and scattered with the seed to impart favorable blessings upon the flax. — Linda Heinrich
Old-time flax hand lotion (adapted from The Essential Flax)
1/4 c. whole flax seed
4 c. filtered water
2 tbsp. glycerin
1/2 tsp. natural vitamin E
5 drops lavender, lemon verbena, or rose essential oil
Boil flax seed in water for 2 hours until it thickens. Strain out the flax seed retaining the water. Add glycerine, and vitamin E. Allow to cool. Stir in essential oil. Mix well. Store in light proof jar in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
Use like regular hand lotion. It has a different, jelly like consistency. It goes on a bit sticky but is absorbed quickly by your skin.
- One bushel of flax seed produces 9.5 litres of linseed oil.
- Bees collect close to 15 kg of honey from one hectare of flax.
Hot compress
Flax hot compress can be made by stitching flax seed into a rectangular square of cotton fabric. (Use 2 pieces of cotton 6 inches x 24 inches) Fill the pillow with flax seed and stitch closed. Heat in a microwave or in an oven. Flax relieves aches, pains, and sprains. It can be used hot or cold. These are quick to make and are great gifts to slip in a parcel.
- Flax has beneficial effects in breast cancer treatment, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, celiac disease, and high blood pressure.
How to make a flax plaster
Flax seed plasters were used traditionally to ease pain, improve circulation, and hasten the expression of infection. Used in the treatment of boils, aching muscles, inflamed tissues, carbuncles, ulcerations, and inflammation, they are easy to make.
Boil 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of whole flax seed, stirring constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Dump the flax seed into the center of a clean cotton handkerchief. Fold the handkerchief over the flax to form an enclosed packet. Allow it to cool slightly until it will not burn the skin. Apply to the affected area as hot as can be tolerated without burning. Cover the plaster with a dry cloth. Leave in place for up to three hours. Remove before it is cooled completely. Do not reuse flax seed. Note: Remove immediately if skin becomes irritated. Do not use if a client has a flax allergy.
Flax seed in animal feed
Flax seed added to the diets of livestock and pets increases their omega 3 ratio, which is especially important if they are being fed other grains, which are generally higher in omega 6 fats. Poultry and ruminants can have flax seed added whole, as their digestion will break down the flax seed so that their bodies can utilize it to the full. Young animals, dogs, cats, and humans should have flax ground before eating, to help in the breakdown of the fibers. When flax is added to the diet of laying chickens, their eggs have an increase in Omega 3 fatty acids.
Flax seed, when added to the diet of dogs and cats, improves their coats, too, adding softness and gloss, and improves overall health.
More flax resources:
Flax jelly, for relief from colds and flu.
Hand sanitizer using flax seeds.
I have been told that ground flaxseed can be used to create a compress for pain. You don’t mention it on your website. Is it true or beneficial, do you know?
Thanks for al the great info on the power of flax!
Yes that would be a flax plaster. It is supposed to be helpful.
HI..what is the growing conditions for Flax. I have some flax seeds left over. Can I grow them? I live in zone six so I assume it would be grown as an annual.
Flax is a hardy annual. However, generally it is planted in the spring. It needs 100 days from planting until you harvest it for fiber. If you are planting for seed allow longer for the seed to fully mature and dry down. I plant it in April here, as soon as the snow melts. And harvest it the second week in August.
Thank you for all your posts! Always useful and interesting information!
Would love to learn more about Flax!
Very informative! I will be adding this to our diet.
Thank you so much for sharing your plethora of information on flax seed! I cannot wait to make up all of these recipes!
Please enter me for the draw! Flax is wonderful – I am just discovering it has far more uses and benefits than I thought!
Cool! So, I wonder if I can grow flax in the deep South?
wonderful Flax info! I am seriously considering growing flax here as well,and this just helps me feel more confident in my deciding on it! thanks.
Nikkhi, there is a lady growing flax near Winnipeg. She got seed from me last August and was planning on putting in a plot this Spring. Flax is one of the major crops in Saskatchewan so I don’t think you’d have any trouble where you are. As long as flooding doesn’t get in the way of getting it in May long weekend. ☺
I am so glad I found your site…it’s great!!
I really like the mention of the flax plaster. My hands have been aching way too much from yard work and I need some kind relief such as this !!! Will give it a try. Thank you. Sue
I love the lotion & the whole flax seed concept to keep ourselves healthy. Thank you!
Your helpful hints, tips & blogs on homesteading are so encouraging – we can’t help but pass them on to our friends. 😀
Thanks, Fran.
Great post, thanks I never new flax was so good for you:)
We enjoy using flax in a lot of our food. Another wonderful plant created by a wonderful God! My dad also feeds flax to his chickens to up their omega 3.
We grow some flax too but I think it is a smaller more ornamental kind. It is beautiful!
Abbi@abbisbridal.com
Great articles above…I am making those compresses for sure!!
Thanks so much for the chance at the giveaway…and especially for opening it up for outside the US…I get a chance to win for a change!! lol
I have liked your facebook page too…very nice by the way 🙂
Thanks,
Helen
PS..don’t enter my name in the draw, excellent draw as it is, I have enough of those cookbooks.
OK.
Love your site and all the good sources of flax cookbooks, just of my favorites to add to your list…
“Everything Flax” put out by the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission… http://www.saskflax.com/newsrel_everythingflax.html
Hi, Randy
Nice to see you here. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have 2 plants but will move it so I cna cultivate more. I didn’t realize it was good for so many things. Thanks for the giveaway.
Great giveaway. I didn’t realize flax was good for so many things. I have 2 plants and think I’ll move it and cultivate more. Love the flowers when blooming. Thanks.
Love your blog! Thank you for a great giveaway!
I would love to win!
My Mother was way ahead of her time.She talked about how good flax was for you when I was a child.
Great giveaway, how to preper flax and nettles was how I found your blog months ago.
Great info on flax! I’ve used flax as a hair conditioner (boiled with herbs). It really made my hair feel great!
I love the flowers of the flax plant but had no idea how useful flax could be. Thanks for posting this
Excited to try this recipe for flax lotion!
Who knew that pretty little blue flower could do so much? Thanks for the info!
WE have always used flax as a green cover in our large garden to eradicate weeds and fertilize fallow ground–and we get to enjoy the beautiful flowers. I buy my flax seed though, too hard to harvest on a small scale.
It never occurred to me that our cats would benefit. Also, thank you for the recipes. We’re always looking for lotions and medicines that contain natural ingredients.
Thanks for the recipes for flax, and it never occurred to me to put some in my cats’ food.
Flax is easy to grow, & v pretty (some germinated from seeds we fed to birds). It’s stinky when it’s rotting down for fibres, but worth it!
Wow, I didn’t realize all the benefits of flax. I wonder if I could grow it!
I knew there were quite a few uses of flax but not this many. Really interesting to learn about. Great info for future use. Thanks.
I love the idea of the flax seed lotion. I would like to try it on my dry arms. I don’t grow flax but can buy the seeds at the store or health food store. Would they work?
Yes, grocery store flax seed works just fine for all of the information in this post. You don’t have to grow your own. In fact, although I grow my own, I eat flax from the health food store and feed my own homegrown flax to the animals. That way I don’t have to winnow it and clean it. The chicken and goats will eat it right off the pod. In fact the llamas will take the seed heads off the stocks if I let them. ☺
Thank you for the giveaway. I did not know anything about flax before except flax seed is rich in omega 3’s. I am excited to know more!
Thats alot of uses. I knew it was edible and cloth was made from it, but didnt know about the other uses.
Exciting give away! I can’t wait to see the farm (from more than the highway) this summer 🙂
Very informative article. I grew flax last year for the first time, which I hope will be a handspun, handwoven shirt at the end of the process. Thank you for sharing.
Yay, Karen. Tell me about your shirt project. I’d love to hear more.
I am looking forward to seeing what all I can use flax seed for. I have a warmer that I put in the microwave for about a minute and then put it on my neck, Oh it feels so good. The hand lotion sounds good, since I have really dry skin. I also put flax seed or oil in my protien drinks and smoothies.
I shared your giveaway on my facebook page.
I’m just beginning to use flax in my cooking and don’t know much about it. This sounds very informative.
I am so enjoying learning more ways to be healthy and to help my family be healthier. Thank you for the information in this article.
I wonder if I could grow flaxseed…hmmm ,Thank You for the giveaway, the book looks interesting..
I really want to learn more about this amazing plant. I have read about its use as a poultice for eye infections, but I not for colds. I’m sure it does many amazing things. I would love to win that book!!!
Thanks for the nice giveaway! I shared it on the Common Sense Homesteading page.
Nice Giveaway!
Love the flax hand lotion recipe. In the winter my hands get so dry and fingers crack around the nails. It doesn’t help that my job consists of handling over a 1000 newspapers a day. The paper and ink dry them out even more. I will be trying the recipe. 🙂
I have just been using flax for the last 6 mo. Still in the learning curve of its benefits Thank you for sharing .
I’ve been wanting to make my own lotion without all the oils and emulsifying waxes, that recipe is just perfect! Any idea how long it keeps for, if it should be stored in the fridge or not?
Thanks so much, can’t wait to cook some up.
Definitely store in the fridge. Since its water base it will have a tendency to spoil at room temperature. Also make it in small batches so that the flax oil doesn’t go rancid.
Congrats. 🙂 What a fun giveaway.
Hope to be up in your area and attend the flax day at thefarm 🙂
We’d love to meet you, Christeen.