Flaxseed Oil • (Linum usitatissimum)
“Also called linseed oil, but linseed products (including paint thinners) are not for ingestion; comes in oil capsules or ground seed; the ground seed is for use as a bulk laxative, while the oil capsules are used for all other purposes; an essential fatty acid source high in amino acids, fiber, and omega-3 and omega-6 oils; the seed is used for constipation, chronic constipation, bowel inflammatory dis-eases, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, Crohn’s dis-ease, enteritis, colon damage, diverticulitis; balances beneficial bacteria in the intestines, clears the colon of toxins, prevents colon cancer; also reduces stomach acid production, gastritis, soothes ulcers; the oil is an antiestrogen, reducing estrogen by clearing it from the body, important for menopausal symptoms, PMS, cystic breasts, estrogen-sensitive conditions such as fibroid tumors and endometriosis, an aid to preventing and retarding growth of estrogen-sensitive cancers (breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer); prevents and treats heart dis-ease and stroke, reduces high blood pressure and high cholesterol, heart pain, angina, and blood clotting; also treats arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory skin dis-eases (psoriasis, eczema, burns, scalds, and irritations); use for obesity; regulates fat in the body, promotes brain development in developing fetuses and in children; reduces inflammation, pain, swelling, pressure in the eyes, joints, and blood vessels; regulates mucus, water retention, allergic reaction, autonomic nervous system, smooth muscle reflexes, glandular function; lowers blood sugar and may reduce severity of diabetes; regulates immune response. Antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory. Considered a food; no listed side effects, drug interactions, or warnings.”
Excerpt From
Healing Herbs A to Z
Diane Stein
