Cairo Magazine - The facts on flax

Its fibrous stems are used to make one of the world’s oldest and strongest cloths. Its oil makes a high quality wood preservative and polish used by master craftsmen for millennia that continues to be the base of many superior industrial treatments for wood and concrete. Sound like something you want to eat?

Linium usitatissiumum, commonly known as flax and giver of linseed and linen (kitan) cloth, is a definite contender for the world’s most versatile plant. The oil, moreover, holds a special place in the heart of many Egyptians, for “fuul bi har” (broad beans with linseed oil) is a favorite hearty breakfast among the laboring populace—and those with real or imagined nostalgic ties to physical work as well. Recent research reveals that this humble plant may indeed hold the key to healing much of what ails the human body today.

The traditional medicinal uses of this multi-purpose seed are well-documented. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, discovered the anti-mucous and expectorant properties of linseed, and recommended it to soothe coughs. A poultice of linseed oil is effective in treating boils, pocks, burns and psoriasis due to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. A couple of spoonfuls of the seed act as a bulking agent useful to ease cases of constipation while the oil can also act as a mild laxative due to its lubricating effects, which also contributes to its use in aiding the passage of gallstones. Anecdotal evidence suggests its use in helping to leach toxic heavy metals such as lead and aluminum from the body and researchers have found that it also tends to reduce fat and sugar levels and may help prevent cancer. The expressed oil contains vitamins A, B, D and E minerals and amino acids, leading to its recommendation as a general nutritional supplement. But in recent years, the popularity of flax as a medicinal aid has soared due to its possession of an important fatty acid: Omega 3.

Flax seed, next to fish oil, contains the highest concentration of the essential nutrient, Alpha Linolenic Acid (LNA), commonly called Omega 3. Essential nutrients are those that the human body cannot manufacture, but that are vital to its functions and must therefore be consumed, preferably in the right proportions.

Omega 3 fatty acids make up the molecules in the structure and activity of the membranes of all cells throughout the body. They also have highly specialized functions in neurological tissues, especially the brain and retina, and are vital in the process of new tissue formation. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to play a part in keeping cholesterol levels low, stabilizing irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and reducing blood pressure. In addition, they act as blood thinners, keeping arteries from “sticking” and their anti-inflammatory properties are useful in treating a number of autoimmune dysfunctions as well as in easing the symptoms of arthritis. The latest research is investigating the role of Omega 3 in brain function, and preliminary results show that low levels of Omega 3 are associated with depression and other psychiatric disorders.

Those adhering to a typical “Western” diet where meat and carbohydrates are consumed in abundance (and let’s face it, most of us do) will normally consume at least 10 times more Omega 6 (a similar oil) than Omega 3, whereas our bodily need is more along the lines of two to one. That’s where flax, which contains LNA and LA at a ratio of four to one and can help restore the proper balance, comes in.

The best way to take linseed is to ingest the oil, but it should be fresh and stored in a sealed, tinted glass container out of direct sunlight and refrigerated, as it deteriorates rapidly in the presence of light and oxygen. For best results, bring your own container (tinted wine bottles or olive oil bottles work well) to your local attar and ask for a quantity of fresh, expressed oil. In addition, make sure the seeds used are fully mature. Mature seeds will have a glossy texture and dark color.

Uses of linseed:

- To soothe coughs, make an herbal infusion by boiling two cups of water with two tablespoons of linseed, crushed or whole, and add honey and lemon.

- Use a bit of linseed oil mixed with honey to treat virtually any skin blemish.

- To use as a nutritional supplement with a mild laxative effect, take two tablespoons of the whole seed with at least two glasses of water. The water is important to make sure the seeds expand sufficiently in the stomach to release their components and so the whole seeds do not

become lodged in the digestive tract.