While the earliest Greek and Roman writings refer to the healing properties of flax as far back as 650 BC, the emperor Charlemagne considered flax so important to health that he passed regulations requiring its use.
But flax seed didn’t make its way to North America until the early 1600s. With World War I, flax demand increased as its oil—linseed oil—was used to produce products for home and industrial use.
After World War II and throughout the 50s and 60s, the use of oil-based coatings and linoleum—both derived from flax seed—grew significantly. Flax seed was also introduced into the diet.
Today, flax breads and other baked goods containing flax are available. And farmers and breeders now feed flax to their livestock to keep their coats healthy and to improve digestion.
Flax seed typically consists of about 40% fat, 28% dietary fiber, 21% protein, 4% ash, and 6% carbohydrates in the form of sugars, phenolic acids, lignans, and hemicellulose. Because of its healthy nutritional profile, flax seed has been the subject of extensive research over the past 50 years which shows numerous health benefits of flax seed.
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