 | Supplement of the Month Flax Seed
Flax seed oil is a rich source of healing oil which has been cultivated for more than 7000 years and is commonly known as Linseed. The oil is used to prevent and treat heart disease and to relieve a variety of inflammatory disorders and hormone -related problems including fertility.
Flax was first used as a fibre for weaving and it remains the source of natural linen fabric today. However, it has also been renowned for centuries for its medicinal properties. The slender annual grows up to a metre in height and bears blue flowers from February to September. Both the oil from the seeds and the seeds themselves are used for therapeutic purposes.
Flax seeds are a source of essential fatty acids (EFAs) - fats and oil critical for health which the body cannot make on its own. One EFA found in Flax seeds, alpha-linolenic acid, is known as Omega-3.
Flax seeds also contain omega-6 fatty acids in the form of linolenic acid, the same healthy fats that are present in many vegetable oils. Flax seeds also provide substances called lignans which appear to have beneficial effects on various hormones. Weight for weight flax seeds contain up to 800 times the lignans found in most other foods.
EFAs work throughout the body to protect cell membranes - the outer coverings that are gatekeepers for all cells, admitting healthy nutrients and barring damaging substances which explains why flax seed oil may have such far reaching effects.
The benefits of flax seeds are that they help to lower cholesterol, they are useful for heart disease, angina and high blood pressure.
As a digestive aid flax is useful to aid gallstone problems.
Promotes healthy hair and nails.
Helps with the transmission of nerve impulses making it potentially useful for numbness, and tingling or nerve damage from diabetes.
Flax seeds contain plant based oestrogens called phytoestrogens which mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen so can have beneficial effects on the menstrual cycle, balancing the hormones and help to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, menstrual cramps or tender breasts.
|
| | |
|
