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The benefits and harms of flax seeds, contraindications and how to take them?

Flax is a plant that has long used for the production of yarn and dietary oil. Clothes linen has high strength and durability, has a high rate of absorbency and thermal conductivity, environmentally safe. Flax seeds are used in folk medicine in order to soft and natural therapies of many diseases, as well as for culinary purposes. And flax oil – a dietary product, a source of essential body fat acids, which cannot be synthesized by the body.

Three most common types of flax:

  • Flax – has long stems to 70 cm tall, loosely branching, used in the production of fibers for yarn in textile industry;
  • Flax – gives ten times more boxes than flax, are low and well-branched, used in the production of oil:
  • Len-muzeumok – has the properties of the above two types, can be used both for oil production and for the manufacture of coarse cloth.

The rich list of active ingredients of flax seeds (fatty acids, pectin, lignans and phytosterols) makes it an excellent tool for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the digestive tract, heart, blood vessels, and also to enhance immunity.

The content of the article:


The benefits of flax seeds

Significant benefits of flax seeds include:

  • Cleansing properties of flax seeds promote the excretion of toxins, parasites and waste products.

  • Cellulose and pectic substances bind heavy metals.
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acid groups omega-3, 6, and 9, the content of which is linseed oil more than fish oil, important for growth and development of the young organism and the proper functioning of the vascular system.

    1. Omega-3 has a property of thinning the blood, which is a good prevention of thrombosis, atherosclerosis and diseases of the blood vessels and heart.

    2. Omega-6, a common component in most meat and fat products of animal origin, in case of excessive alcohol consumption can provoke obesity, increased level of cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes. To counteract this effect help essential omega-3 fatty acids which are in flax seeds contains 19 grams per 100 grams of seeds.

  • Selenium in the seeds restores the lack of this trace element in the body, which is often observed among residents of large cities, as well as those who consume a lot of carbohydrate food. Selenium protects the nucleic acid from destruction, reduces the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

  • Potassium is another ingredient in flax seeds, which are vital to man. With it implemented cellular transport, it is necessary for coordinated work of all organs and systems of man. With a lack of potassium disturbances of heart rhythm, swelling, problems with kidneys and excretory system. The composition of flax seeds in terms of dry weight more potassium than in bananas, which is traditionally recommended to use with a deficit of this trace element.

  • Lecithin and vitamin B in the seeds of flax protects nerve cells from damage, prevents the development of mental illness, postpartum depression and depressive States.


What cures flax seed?

  • Chronic constipation – fiber is contained in the shell of a linen seed helps to gently cleanse the bowel, the removal from it of toxins and restore its mucous membrane;
  • Atherosclerosis – Flaxseed oil lowers the amount of so-called "badcholesterol" in the blood, which prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and also improves the tone and elasticity of blood vessels;
  • Parasitic infestation of the body – flax seeds possess antihelminthic properties, cleans the intestines from parasites;
  • Diseases of the gallbladder and liver;
  • Diseases of the genitourinary system inflammatory;
  • In diseases of the throat and respiratory system a decoction of flax used for rinsing or drinking;
  • When pathologies of the digestive tract, dyspepsia, ulcers, gastritis, bowel diseases and gastric jelly from flax seeds or chew the whole seeds.

  • How useful flax seeds for the female body?

    White flax health benefits for women due to its content of phytoestrogens – plant analogs of female hormones in the outer layer of the seeds. Regular consumption of flax seeds alleviates negative symptoms of menopause and is an excellent prevention of cancer of the breast and uterus.

    Topic: restoring hormonal failure in the home


    Other useful properties of flax seeds

    Polysaccharides in the composition of the shell of the flax seed can bind a lot of water – that is why the infusion of the seeds formed a viscous jelly that is taken orally for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. If you chew flax seeds, they will swell in the gut, enveloping him in mucous membrane, that promotes regeneration after damage by toxins or parasites. These properties of flax seeds is used in folk treatment of psoriasis, of intoxication or intestinal disorders.

    Flax seeds normalize the function of the digestive system, used for prevention of liver diseases and rehabilitation of patients in postoperative period.


    How useful flax seed oil? (linseed oil)

    The biggest advantage of linseed oil is the high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid groups omega-3 and omega-6, ideally, entering the body from external sources constantly. The same fatty acids are also present pumpkin, walnut, sesame, corn and even sunflower oil, why linseed oil is the most useful?

    The fact that it is not enough to have certaincomponents in the product, it is important to their relationship. The ratio of fatty acids of 1:4 (omega-3 to omega-6, respectively) is considered the best in Japan, in Sweden the norm is 1:5. But most people in the diet there is high prevalence of acids from the omega-6, which leads to increased cholesterol in the blood, blood viscosity increases and creates a risk of heart attack, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases.

    In the metabolism of fatty acids 3 and 6-omega groups compete for the enzyme desaturase, and if acid with double carbon bond in the 6 position are significantly more omega-3 are simply not absorbed. Why nutritionists often recommend to improve the effectiveness of omega-3 to refuse food rich in animal fats.

    Only two kinds of vegetable oils, camelina and flax – contain optimum proportion of polyunsaturated LCD, so they are digested better and help to prevent cardiovascular diseases, intestine and digestive system.

    In addition to the polyunsaturated acids, the oil from flax seeds is rich in B vitamins, necessary for stable functioning of the nervous system, it contains vitamin antioxidants A and E, allowing the body to combat the negative effects of free radicals. Lecithin and minerals (potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus) in the oil of flax seeds prevents the development of iron-deficiency States and endocrine disorders.

    Flax seeds and oil are popular medicines and can be taken daily in an amount of from 5 to 50 grams to strengthen the body, increase immunity and reduce cholesterol. This is an excellent prevention of hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke and thrombosisand coronary heart disease.

    According to research conducted at the Institute of Gerena in California, Flaxseed oil can slow the growth of tumors, so it is recommended as source of fatty acids for cancer patients.

    In addition, Flaxseed oil is an indispensable product in the diet of vegetarians who get out of it omega-3. Among other sources of essential fatty acids – marine fish (herring, salmon, mackerel), fish oil and supplements of omega-3 capsules. However, the first two products can be present in the menu of the vegetarian and omega-3 supplements are usually poorly absorbed by the body and has questionable beneficial properties, asit is impossible to control the conditions of its storage and quality.


    The dangers of flax seed

    The seeds of flax virtually no contraindications, but they should be used with caution in hypercalcemia or hypersensitive components of seeds.

    But since flax seeds are harmless and safe to use, why in many countries the sale of linseed oil is banned? The fact that linseed oil – a leader in content of unsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 group (up to 44% mass fraction in comparison with 1% in the usual sunflower oil). These substances are extremely beneficial for health as well as contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis and can significantly reduce cholesterol, are the structural component of cell membranes and is necessary for the synthesis of prostaglandins. But under the influence of light and heat fatty acids are immediately oxidized, peroxides are formed, which, on the contrary, very harmful for the organism and can even exert a carcinogenic effect.

    To determine the presence of oxidized fats in the oil can to his liking – it acquires a bitter taste and peculiar smell. This oil is in any case can not drink! It will cause a serious blow to your health!

    Optimal storage conditions for Flaxseed oil in a cool and dark place, to transport flax oil in opaque containers (of darkened glass, ceramics, etc.).

    Flax seeds are stored longer than oil, because the fatty acids in them is protected by the shell of the seed, but before applying them you also need to test the taste. Ground seeds from the ruined shell of oxidized as fast as butter, which should grind them just before use.

    Flax flour is found in the sale, contains dried and milled flax seeds. It lacks we need fatty acids, so flax flour less spoiled if stored properly. But most of the nutrients it lacks, although the products based on it provide the body with fiber and help with intestinal disorders.

    How to take flax seeds?

    • Flax seed with yogurt. The combination of yogurt and flax seeds is used as an adjuvant in diets or exercise for speedy weight loss. To 100 grams of yogurt add one teaspoon of sunflower seeds. This mixture must be replacedBreakfast or dinner, drink on an empty stomach. To speed up the process after the first week of treatment the dose of seeds can be increased to two scoops, and after two weeks to three.
    • A decoction of flax seed. For overall cleansing of the body and improve the condition of the skin of the flax seed you need to prepare the broth: a tablespoon of seeds, pour a half liters of boiling water and keep on low heat for thirty minutes, then wrapped in a fabric (towel, blanket) and wait to cool. Warm broth, reminiscent of jelly, you need to drink upon waking and before bedtime on an empty stomach 250 ml To taste to the broth, you can add a spoonful of sour juice (lemon, cherry, pomegranate , etc.).

    • Infusion of flax seeds. To soothe inflammation of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and to clean the intestines from toxins helps the infusion of flax seeds, which can be prepared according to the recipe. In liter flask to fill three tablespoons of flax seed that need to pour boiling water. Future infusion is cooled for three hours, after which it must drain and squeeze the assembled cake in a closed opaque dishes. Before main meals (30 minutes) and between them you need to take 150 g infusion in the month.
    • Jelly from flax seed. Jelly from flax seed take to treat gastritis, chronic constipation, peptic ulcers and intestinal disorders, it helps to normalize the condition of the stomach and improve the metabolism. A tablespoon of flax seeds pour 500 ml of boiling water, then infused for eight hours. Cooking time can be reduced if the pre-grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. To make the drink more palatable, add honey, cinnamon or vanilla, brewed with chicory or interfere with berry jelly, brewed with oatmeal. The jelly should drink plenty of water, it has to be drunk with pancreatitis in acute phase.


    How to grind flax seeds and how to store?

    Milled flax seeds are easier to use in recipes because they reduce the time of preparation of infusions and decoctions. In addition, ground flax seed can be added to dishes and salads to increase their nutritional value. Golden flax is added to flour for baking, as it prevents her Crestline in Canada it even became a standard the production of bread.

    Milled grain flax that can be found inthe sale is likely of little use to health, especially if sold in transparent packaging and are in the light. Much cheaper and better for your health if you buy whole grains and grind them at home. For this you can use almost any kitchen appliance – blender, coffee grinder, food processor and even a mechanical mill for spices. But it is best to purchase a miniature electric mill, which will allow you to quickly and easily obtain the desired portion of the ground seeds. You can also use the old-fashioned way and grind the seeds with a pestle in a mortar.

    Whole flax seeds retain their useful properties over a 12 months, but milled grain cannot be stored for as long they need to grind each time. This is due to the properties of the fatty acid composition of flax – omega-3 oxidizes rapidly in sunlight or high temperatures and turns into a hazardous carcinogen. So if you are after grinding remained a surplus of seeds, they need to be stored in a dark container without access of air in a cool dry place, or frozen.


    How to take fiber from the flax seeds?

    Vegetable fiber is used for the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract. It applies the course of two months to cleanse the body, absorbs harmful substances in the intestines and leads them out. Fiber from flax seeds can get rid of fecal stones, mucus and toxins in the intestines, absorbs poisons and toxins, prevents the processes of decay and is an excellent de-worming agent.

    Take it mixed with yogurt or yogurt, used as a breading, made from linen fiber make raw food bread. Cautious use with pancreatitis and diabetes, not to eat women during lactation and people with gall - and kidney stones disease, as fiber can cause the displacement of stones in the kidneys.


    Treatment with flax seed, recipes

    Flax seeds are inflammation of the pancreas

    For the treatment of the pancreas using flax jelly. Doing it this way: two tablespoons of crushed seeds in a coffee grinder and pour boiling water (based on 0.2 liters per one tablespoon), cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, then insist 1 hour. After that filter it through a strainer and add honey to taste, but not more than 2 tablespoons.

    The effectiveness of the use of flax for the treatment of pancreatitis provide astringent and anti-inflammatory substances in its composition. In addition, the fiber of flax seeds helps to normalize the metabolism and excretion of toxins.

    To use flax seeds in pancreatitisbe careful, you cannot use these recipes in the acute stage of the disease, as well as gallstones.

    Flax seeds for gastritis

    Flax seeds have been successfully used to mitigate the negative manifestations of gastritis, such as pain, heartburn and nausea due to their anti-inflammatory and membrantechnik properties. For the treatment of gastritis use an infusion of flax seeds two tablespoons seeds, cleaned from impurities, pour a liter of boiling water and leave in a thermos or a saucepan, wrapped the towel for the night. Take before meals for 200-300 ml.

    In addition, the effectively relieve the symptoms of gastritis crushed flax seeds with yogurt and Flaxseed jelly. Gastritis with low acidity of linseed decoctions and seeds help the lump of food pass through the stomach without damaging the damaged areas of the mucosa that usually causes pain.

    How to take flax seeds for constipation?

    Flax seeds are used as a mild laxative in chronic constipation due to the composition rich in fiber. Strong laxatives upset the balance of minerals in the body, leading to potassium deficiency and irritation of the intestinal mucosa.

    For the treatment of chronic constipation using flax extracts (100 grams the seeds for 1 liter boiling water) and crushed flax seeds, which need to drink plenty of water, so they were promptly deduced from an organism.

    After two or three days of regular consumption of Flaxseed, the metabolism and the processes of self-purification of the intestines are normalized, recovers its microflora and to regenerate damaged mucosa.

    Flax seeds for diabetes

    For the treatment of diabetes infusion of the seeds need to drink twenty minutes before a meal or make overnight. There are fast and slow methods of cooking such infusion. In the first case, two tablespoons of seeds pour boiling water (100 g) and infused a few minutes, and then diluted with cooled boiled water to volume of one glass and drink 20 minutes before a meal. The second method is two teaspoons of seeds pour a glass of boiled but cooled water and infuse for two hours.

    A decoction of flax seeds is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of ground in a mortar and poured half a glass of boiling water, then boil for 5 minutes on low heat. Cooled decoction drink at one time before meals. If you are concerned about constipation and intestinal disorders, you can strain the decoction and drink italong with the crushed seeds.

    How to prepare flax seeds for the treatment of ulcers of the stomach?

    Products with mucus from flax seed, such as infusions and decoctions, used for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease due to their shielding properties that accelerate healing of damaged gastric mucosa. Properly brewed, the seeds: in a bowl with three tablespoons of washed and peeled seeds, you need to add two cups of boiling water and leave in the thermos for a few hours. The infusion should be two to three times shake immediately after brewing, and after half an hour in the process. Apply its course one or two weeks, half a Cup an hour before each meal. Every day you need to make a fresh seeds because they quickly lose their useful properties.


    Popular questions and answers:

    • What is the rate of consumption of flax seeds? How much can you eat in a day? The accepted norm of the use of flax seeds for an adult body weight of about 70 kg is 24 grams a day. Some researchers and nutritionists also claim that it is absolutely harmless daily dose use of seeds is 40-50 g.
    • Can I eat flax seeds during pregnancy and while breastfeeding? Subject to a natural rate of consumption of flax seeds for a pregnant woman there is no danger. But she should definitely consult with your Ob / GYN. The doctor should know that this product can be found potent Botanical active substances that increase uterine tone when you receive sufficient doses. To avoid premature birth and miscarriage, the gynecologist often prohibits the admission of not only modern medicine, but also folk, including flax seeds. While feeding baby is a natural way not consume flax seeds to avoid contact with active substances of plant origin in fragile developing organism. However, it is possible to use tools based on them in small doses with the doctor's recommendation.
    • Is it possible to give the child flax seeds? For children the use of flax seed as a preventive measure (no more than five grams per day) is possible from the age of three. Increase the dose use of seeds only in the medical purposes on the advice of the doctor following comprehensive medical examination of the child.
    • Can I eat flax seeds dry? Flax seeds can be eaten dry, carefully chewing and drinking largewith plenty of water. Seeds completely swell and become available for the digestive system in the intestines, so taking the dry seed is only possible if it has no inflammatory diseases. Studies show that at low temperatures the alpha-linoleic (omega-3) fatty acid preserves the structure and nutritional value, so the crushed seeds can be added to various dishes to improve the nutritional value and enrich the flavor, and Flaxseed meal are often added to baked goods.

    • How long and how often you can drink flax seeds? Regardless of the form of consumption (raw materials, in the form of decoction, mucus, powder or oil), Flaxseed, occurs most often in small portions three times a day. The use of various solutions obtained by infusion in cold or hot water, made sure before eating. Dry and powdered seeds are eaten together with food in its composition or as a meal replacement (during the diet). The term regular consumption of Flaxseed may be limited to three weeks per month. As a systematic Supplement to food you can eat sunflower seeds constantly.
    • How long can you store flax seeds? Remember that flax seed is perishable product. The most pernicious are oxygen and ultraviolet rays. To avoid oxidation of nutrients, it is necessary to store seeds in sealed containers in the refrigerator. Unopened they have a high nutritional value for three years, and after its opening it remains for about a month. The crushed product is best consumed within two to three weeks. Prepared on the basis of flax seed supplements need to be used exclusively in fresh.
    • Is it possible to lose weight with flax seeds? And how much? Flax seeds are not a tool for weight loss, so there is no question of reduction of weight as a result of their use without limiting the number entering the body with food. For weight loss it is important to special diet, during which seeds can play the role of bowel cleansing tools. Vegetable fibers, which consist of flax seeds, it swells in the stomach, causing a quick feeling of satiety, which helps to adjust the size of the portions when dieting. Due to the high nutritional value of flax seed can replace dinner. If thus rid the body of extra load within a few weeks, the high probability of weight loss in pounds-two or more, depending on the period of use diet.

    Contraindications to the use of flax seeds

    "Everything is medicine and everything is poison" said Avicenna. So taking in this unusual food product, such as flax seeds, should adhere to the rules of use described in the first question of this section. The limitation is due to the high content of cyanogenic glycosides (e.g., thiocyanate). These substances are found in abundance in raw plant foods (especially seeds), but break down under high temperature, so cooking is easy to solve this problem.

    In addition to poisonous cyanogens, flax seed is present compound which produces a strong choleretic effect. He shouldn't be flax seeds in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, like diarrhea, cholecystitis, colitis. With pancreatitis take seeds pure not only to cook the jelly/broth of them, which has a calming effect on the pancreas.

    If incorrectly set dosage regime of a possible flatulence and bloating – you should always start with a small amount of seeds, and gradually increase it to the required standards.

    The body's hypersensitivity to any component of flax seeds, as in the case with any drug, is a definitive contraindication for use.