Flax#Flax seeds

As linseed seeds of the flax plant ( Common flax, Linum usitatissimum ) are referred to.

Description

Flax seeds have depending on the variety a brown or yellow skin, slightly nutty taste, and contain about 40% fat ( flaxseed oil ). At this, the polyunsaturated omega -3 fatty acid alpha -linolenic acid accounted for about 50%. Linseed oil has one of the highest concentrations of omega -3 fatty acids of all known vegetable oils. Other important ingredients are mucilage, linamarin, protein, lecithin; Furthermore, sterols, plastochromanol, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E and nicotinic, folic acid and pantothenic acid.

Use

Remedy

Flax seeds have proven to be a natural and non- pharmacy -requiring laxative for a constipated. For this purpose, the seed must be broken and then milled into flour. Before eating the meal should be soaked in water. The result of linseed mucilage. The laxative effect is due to the fact that in the shell of the flaxseed mucilage are included which swell due to water absorption. The Kotmasse is also softened. The concomitant with the increase in volume swelling irritates the present in the intestinal wall stretch receptors, so that it comes to emptying reflex.

Linseed mucilage can be taken deployed to protect the gastric mucosa in gastritis as morning Rollkur or on the day. There is some evidence that flaxseed mucilage can also prevent against prostate cancer.

Flax seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides ( Linustatin and neolinustatin ). This hydrocyanic acid precursors correspond after their conversion of a quantity of about 50 mg of hydrocyanic acid per 100 g of flaxseed. However, the low water content of the seeds, which at acidic pH in the stomach and prevents the degradation by Rhodanasen poisoning in establishing normal quantities. Each previous heating by baking, boiling or frying destroys the glycosides beyond.

Untreated flax seed - even after Swelling - usually leaves unchanged the digestive system of humans, which is why an appreciable absorption of the ingredients (eg Linustatin, cadmium, linoleic acid and linolenic acid) is absent.

Powdered flaxseed and so-called linseed cake ( the press cake is a by-product of linseed oil production ) are used for softening and soothing pulpy envelopes or as a hot pack with biliary colic and other diseases of the liver and bile. The lignans in flax cakes contained, water-soluble possess antioxidant effects and are miteingesetzt in medicine for breast cancer treatment.

Notes

There is evidence that the consumption of flaxseed could increase by pregnant women, the risk for premature births.

Other uses

Flaxseed is used in large quantities as an ingredient for food, mainly in baked goods and cereals. Large quantities are pressed into linseed oil, which is used as a high quality edible oil, as a therapeutic agent, and especially in technical applications. Linseed cake is fed to livestock or as fertilizer.

Linseed oil is a nutritional point of view of very valuable edible oil ( 90% and more unsaturated fatty acids). It polymerizes rapidly, iodine value 170-190, and is therefore ideally suited for the production of oil paint. The retention of all flax seed products should therefore be carried out in dark, airtight closing vessels.

Issue of genetically modified seeds

From 1996 to 2001 in Canada, the GM, is resistant to certain herbicides flat variety Triffid was approved. Despite the following worldwide cultivation and sale ban (or the lack of permits) GM flaxseed in foods was at first inspections in 2009 in Germany demonstrated evidence in other European countries followed. Large German retail chains away then products containing potentially contaminated flax seed, from their shelves.

As a result of contamination of imported flaxseed from Canada with genetically modified seeds used many food producers no longer linseed from Canada: The prices plummeted and the Canadian flaxseed industry feared for their existence. The Canadian flaxseed Association agreed with the EU as the most important customers ( 70 % of Canadian exports) mandatory testing for their products in order to be able to at least a portion of the crops to sell yet. The union has been pushing to get the problem through controlled cultivation, regular tests and appeals to the farmers in the handle.