Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Linum usitatissimum
Pronounced Flax; Linseed (LIN-seed). Linum usitatissimum (LY-num yoo-zih-tuh-TISS-ih-mum).
Cool, moist demulcent and emollient; the soothing mucilage that lubricates dry, tight, irritated passages and bulks a sluggish bowel.
Culinary amounts of whole or ground seed are generally regarded as acceptable, but medicinal or supplemental doses and flaxseed oil are not established as safe and are best avoided; lignan phytoestrogens have weak estrogenic activity and human data are limited. Source: NCCIH, Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil; AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed. (2013).
Culinary amounts are considered compatible with breastfeeding; lignans transfer minimally into milk. Safety of medicinal or supplemental doses is not well established. Source: LactMed (NIH Drugs and Lactation Database); AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.
Whole or ground seed in food amounts is appropriate; ensure adequate fluid intake with any laxative use to prevent obstruction. Medicinal dosing is not well studied in children. Source: NCCIH; AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.
Always take with abundant fluid (roughly ten times the seed volume) to prevent choking or intestinal impaction. Ground seed oxidizes quickly; use fresh and store cold. Higher doses may cause bloating, flatulence, and loose stool, and may modestly lower blood glucose and blood pressure. Immature (unripe) seed contains cyanogenic glycosides and should not be eaten raw in quantity.
Contraindicated in bowel obstruction, ileus, and esophageal or intestinal stricture. Avoid with acute, undiagnosed abdominal pain. Discontinue if swallowing or passage becomes difficult.
Widely cultivated as a fiber and oilseed crop, not wild-harvested; no conservation concern and not listed by United Plant Savers. Prefer organically grown seed to avoid pre-harvest glyphosate desiccation residues.
Thoroughly biblical as both crop and fiber: the flax was smitten by hail in Egypt (Exodus 9:31); Rahab hid the spies under stalks of flax on her roof (Joshua 2:6); the virtuous woman worketh willingly with wool and flax (Proverbs 31:13). Linen woven from flax clothes the priests and tabernacle throughout Scripture.
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