Flax Seed Oil

Flax seed oil is made from ripe seeds harvested from the Common Flax (Linum usitatissimum). This plant is also known as Linseed and should not be confused with the New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax). Despite their similar common names, these two plant species do not even belong to the same family.

Cold-pressed oil from the Common flax is usually marketed as flax seed oil, while pressed oiled that has gone through a stage of solvent extraction is sold as Linseed oil. The two terms are however sometimes used interchangeably in every day language.

Flax seed oil is edible and contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids; particularly alpha linolenic acid. It is not recommended for cooking since it is heat sensitive.

Consuming it raw in salad dressings and similar is a much better choice. Since flax seed oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids while still being comparatively low in omega-6 fatty acids, it is often used by persons who wish to alter the ratio of these two fatty acids in their diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be capable of affecting the health of a person in several beneficial ways. Before you start emptying bottle after bottle of flax seed oil, you should however keep in mind that even though the fat is healthy, it is still fat and therefore a rich source of calories. 3 ½ ounces (100 grams) of flax seed oil will averagely contain 900 kilocalories, which is equal to roughly 3,800 kilojoules.

Since over-weight is known to have an adverse effect on health, you should make sure that the flax seed oil consumption fit into your daily diet. You can for instance use it instead of fat that you would normally use to prepare a salad dressing, rather than placing it on top of your normal daily calorie intake. You only need a small amount of high-quality flax seed oil each day to receive the recommended intake of beneficial fatty acids.

If you do not like the taste of flax seed oil, you can purchase dietary supplements that have been made from flax seed oil. If you on the other hand appreciate the taste of this oil, you might want to try eating flax seeds as well. Flax seeds are not only filled with the beneficial fatty acids; they are also high in lignans and dietary fibres.

As mentioned above, flax seed oil is not only used for human consumption. The type of flax seed oil marketed as linseed oil has gone through a a stage of solvent extraction that makes it ideal as a wood finish and paint binder. When flax seed oil is heated, its structure will change and the flax seed oil will polymerize or oxidise more readily. This means that the drying time is much shorter for heated flax seed oil (linseed oil) than for non-heated flax seed oil.

Today, the linseed oil found in shops is often a mix containing not only raw linseed oil but also petroleum-based solvents and metallic dryers. If you have purchased linseed oil or flax seed oil in a paint store or similar, you should therefore refrain from eating it since the added components can be unhealthy. This type of oil is often labelled “boiled linseed oil”. Linseed oil without additions is sometimes sold as “polymerized linseed oil”. You should however still refrain from eating it, since there exist some confusion regarding the proper labelling of pure linseed oil.

In addition to being consumed by humans and used as paint binder and wood finish, the flax seed oil has been traditionally used to treat leather. Flax seed oil is also used as food for animals, in animal care products, as a sealant, in caulking compounds, in putty, in earthen floors and much more. The raw willow wood traditionally used for cricket bats is always treated with flax seed oil.

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