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What’s All The Flax About ?
Article by herbalist
Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
With today’s information on the benefits of
whole foods and its impact on the health of the body, I
wanted to write about flaxseed. Flaxseed has a long history
of use as food and as an intermediary substance in industry
and in clothing production. This article will inform you of
these benefits and how to use it in your daily lifestyle.
The information provided is taken from a recent article
found in the publication
Herbgram.
Let’s begin with the history
of flaxseed. Flax is the oldest continuously cultivated
plant in history. The Swedish botanist Linneaus assigned
flax to the Linaceae family of plant species, which means
most useful. There are over 100 species of flax; and
historically flax has been a source of food, fiber (linen),
and oil.
In ancient times the stalks were used to weave
linen and the seeds, commonly called linseed, have been
used in cereals and bakery products. The oil is very
beneficial and has been used as an intermediate for
printing ink, fine chemicals, brake linings, paint
formulations, fabric treatment, and the flooring material
called linoleum.
One tidbit of history in
which flax appears is what was called the flax tax. On clay
tablets discovered in
Egypt dating between
3300-3200BC references are made to the
delivery of flax oil
and linen as tithe to the king. Another interesting part of
flax history is that in a recent discovery in
Turkey
a small piece of linen was found wrapped around a tool
handle. The artifact dates back to about 7000BC and is
believed to be the oldest piece of cloth ever discovered.
The Greeks and Romans used flax to make sails and fishing
nets. There are many references in the bible that show that
flax was an integral part of life. Joseph’s fine robe and
Jewish high priests’ robes were spun from flax. The
Canaanites had knowledge of flax, and it is believed that
the shroud that wrapped Jesus Christ was made of linen.
Flax has many medicinal
properties that again have historical references. The first
century physician Dioscorides used flax for all
inflammation, internal and external. External doses were
prepared by boiling flaxseed with honey, oil, and a little
water. These poultices were used for sunburn, pain, and
swellings.
In our modern times
flaxseed
is still being used according to tradition. It is used for
constipation, gastritis, pharyngitis, coughs, sore throat,
hardening of the arteries, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Neither flaxseed nor its oil is mentioned in current U.S.
Pharmacopoeias, but it was mentioned from 1820 to 1947.
It is currently widely used
in Europe for treating
numerous conditions. An example is the use of the oil in
treating hormonally driven cysts, tumors and cancers in
women. Dr. Johanna Budwig has researched the benefits of
flax oil for these conditions for over 20 years, and there
is a volume of documentation to the benefits derived from
the ingestion of flax oil.
The health benefits of flax
are believed to be caused by several factors. The oil is
high in the essential fatty acids (EFA), linoleic acid and
a-linolenic acid (ala). This EFA is
converted to gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in the liver and is
beneficial in inflammatory disorders. The fiber in flaxseed
contains high levels of lignans; and finally the gums and
mucilage give many of the soothing benefits of flax. These
factors are currently being researched for treating cancer,
lupus, high cholesterol, malaria and rheumatoid arthritis.
Let’s take a closer look as
to how you can use flax in your daily diet. First we begin
with the seed. Due to the fact that the essential fatty
acids in flax are sensitive to heat and light, it is
important to use fresh flaxseed meal. If you are using it
mostly for the fiber content, then already prepared meals
are ok (but be sure that they are kept refrigerated to
prevent rancidity). I always like to grind my flaxseed
fresh in a nut and seed grinder or a blender on grind
setting. Flaxseed meal can be added to cooked
cereal,
granola, breads, pancakes, cookies or smoothie blender
drinks. We add this to our health shake daily.
The use of flax oil is
another important addition to the diet on a daily basis. We
also add the oil to our health shake, plus we put it on
numerous other foods. After extensive research into the
benefits of flax oil, we use it as a preventive food. Dr. Budwig recommends that the oil be
used in conjunction with
other forms of natural fats like low fat cottage cheese,
butter, or yogurt. It is not recommended to be taken on an
empty stomach due to how the body processes fats and oil.
We like to put it on potatoes in place of butter, and we
use it in our salad dressing and apply it to steamed
vegetables.
It is important that when
purchasing flax oil that it be organic. This means
the use of no chemicals in the growing, storage and
processing of it. It will be stated on the label. Be sure
that the product is dated. Due to the stability factors,
it
must be kept refrigerated once opened. It must be in dark
glass or black plastic to protect it. You must shake the
bottle before using it to distribute the lignans that have
a tendency to collect on the bottom of the container.
The following recipe is one
way to enjoy flax oil:
Mother Earth’s Essential
Flax Oil Dressing
8 oz
extra virgin olive oil
4 oz
organic flax oil
2-3 oz
natural vinegar (rice, balsamic, or apple cider)
3-4
cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
4 TBL fresh basil, finely
chopped
1/4 tsp Spike seasoning
1 ts.
fresh lemon juice
Dash of natural soy sauce
Tarragon, parsley, rosemary
to taste.
I hope you will experiment
with this important food, Flaxseed.
The fact that it has been
used by mankind for so long attests to its positive
benefits when it comes to prevention and treatment of many
chronic degenerative diseases.
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