Talk:Flax

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Where can one buy flax seed suitable for growing flax for fibre? (In the USA) Thanks, --David Battle 01:27, 26 Nov 2004 (UTC) hello my name is siddhartha

Contents

[edit] Flax and hemp

I believe that in many uses flax and hemp fibres will substitute for each other, and that fibre called flax is often, in fact, hemp. Laurel Bush 12:14, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC).

I'm really not to sure about all of this that you are talking about, but i would like to learn more if someone would be intrested in helping me.

Flax can be used to make bowstrings, no joke it can, i made one. so i cant understand why that whenever i add that it keeps getting deleted —Preceding unsigned comment added by Panzer V6 (talk • contribs) 16:12, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Try re-adding it with a reference. As long as you're citing a reputable source, I'm sure it will pass muster with the editors. Sсοττ5834talk 22:17, 15 October 2007 (UTC)
I don't have the knowledge of Chinese to put this in the article, but CJEDictionary uses the word "亞麻" (yà má) for flax. The second syllable (麻 má) means "hemp", and also can be used to describe many types of numbness. The first syllable (亞 yà) can mean "Asian", "second", or "inferior" (second-rate?). Was flax perceived as second-rate hemp? Wnt (talk) 00:25, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Flax seed as food

I am looking to buy flax seed in wholesale quantities. Where can I get them from, do you know?

If anybody can help me great many thanks in advance.

Regards.

E. Dogan edogan@onetel.net.uk

Health food stores, generally. The brown ones are ok; the golden ones are more nutritious but also more expensive. Typically you have to grind them to get the full nutrition, but do it just before using them. Also, whatever you do, don't use them in any kind of batter for frying, unless you want what you're frying to taste like fish. I suspect that's because of the Omega oils but I'm not really sure. Koyaanis Qatsi 02:10, 6 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Hempseed is reckoned to be comparable in nutritional terms, and free of the fishy taste. (If linseed is used to feed livestock then the taste can transfer to the meat.) Hempseed oil will burn at a rather low temperature: it will not serve as a high-temperature frying oil. Laurel Bush 12:09, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC).


Out of curiosity, in the main article, who the heck is Margaret-Lizi Lopezi Zetti, what does her suppleness have to do with flax, and what sort of evidence is there to support her claims? That paragraph seems incredibly unsupported and out of place.

[edit] Constipation or diarrhea?

The article currently states that excessive consumption of flax seed can cause diarrhea.... and that excessive consumption can cause intestinal blockage. Which is it? If both, perhaps the references can be brought together for interesting contrast. --TjoeC (talk) 04:30, 30 January 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Cultivating and Dressing Flax

as much as a woman can grasp? i take it this is copied verbatim from this c.1880 homeowner's manual? --24.6.188.3 02:25, 12 May 2005 (UTC)


I suggest that someone try to rewrite this whole section. There is a lot of description that seems pointless, and some other things seem odd (like the as much as a woman can grasp as mentioned above). If someone simply goes through and shortens the sentences so that they don't go on forever it would make a big difference. I would, but I know little to nothing about hand producing flax. Loggie 00:11, Jun 8, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Alternative to fish oil

At the moment the article states "a wonderful alternative to oily fish or fish oil supplements (also high in omega-3 fatty acids) for vegetarians/vegans". I've just been comparing the benefits at Oily fish and it seems that there may be some advantages to fish oil compared with flax seed oil. I'm removing "wonderful" at least, and maybe someone would like to put in a sentence here comparing the two. Saint|swithin 08:28, September 8, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] My edits

I just added a sentence about flaxseed omega-3 vs oily fish and a link to oily fish page. I also commented out the stuff about dietary fibre since it is unsourced and seems kinda suspect to me (see my reasoning in the commented out bit). The bellman 11:34, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Anti-Cancer action of flaxseed

Apologies to the anon(s) who added the material about anti-cancer action - it was unsourced so I reverted it out, since such claims are frequently exaggerated or bogus. However, the newspaper reference given enabled me to track it back to the scientific literature, where there clearly are both some sound studies and a reasonably well understood mechanism of action for a prophylactic effect. I have added a couple of references to this literature - there are lots of others. The specifically flaxseed studies do all tend to come from one lab, but there are plenty of other labs reporting related results so it looks sound enough - though no-one should think it is a complete answer, just one part of a complicated jigsaw. seglea 19:24, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

I am the person who added the sentence that freshly ground and eaten flax seed powder has shown positive results in preventing and treating breast, colon, prostate, and uterine cancer. There are about 1,010,000 sites that have both "flax" and "cancer" according to wwww.google.com search engine. I put in the link to the one I found the most credible--The Medford, Oregon "Mail Tribune", a newspaper that has been in publication for nearly 100 years. I think people should be aware about the medical benefits of eating flax seed soon after it's been ground into powder.204.80.61.10 20:05, 11 October 2006 (UTC)Bennett Turk

[edit] Boiled vs raw linseed oil?

Boiled linseed isn't boiled. It has metals and dryers added ( the old stuff was boiled, but not anymore). Is Raw linseed oil also not raw? Who knows what the manufacturing and marketing standards are for raw linseed oil and what else it includes? thanks Chipperdipper 19:23, 1 November 2006 (UTC)Chipperdipper

[edit] Radiator Triva

I removed this "*Flaxseed meal was sometimes used in the 1930s to plug automobile radiator leaks.[verification needed]" as it has been questioned for a while, a search for any kind of reference did not even bring back a hint. I would suggest leaving it out until a reference is given. If a couple months pass and there is no response please remove this section as well, thanks Jeepday 00:27, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Five Tons of Flax!

Among the (admittedly small) population of Discordians, five tons of flax is a common answer to any question. It stems from an eastern story, which puts forward three tons of flax as being important to enlightenment. Of course, the Goddess requires five, because of the perfection of the number. Should that go into trivia? 129.237.90.54 05:08, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Retting: define it before describing how?

The section on retting flax goes right into how retting is done, but doesn't describe just what retting is supposed to accomplish. According to the article on Retting, the goal is to "loosen the fibers from the other components of the stem". I don't know the details so I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it myself, but I think a paragraph giving the goal of/need for retting should be added to the beginning of the section. --Dan Griscom 00:32, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

I believe I have cleared that up, but I am confused about what to do with the section on threshing, as it describes processes from before retting and after. The seeds must be removed before the retting process, as they would rot. But the bit about breaking up the fibers would come after the retting process. Should I mercilessly edit and delete much of that section? Loggie 00:54, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Golden linseed

I have a packet which tells me to take on tablesoon (12 g) 2 or 3 times per day. followed by two glasses of water etc... what do you think of this advice?Ivegotanasbo 09:51, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flax in other languages

Even if this paragraph is correct, is it necessary? Of course I do not object to links to WP in other languages, but I doubt the value giving the trnaslation in the article. Comments please. Peterkingiron 20:38, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Unless there is some extra info beyond the actual word (like Indo-European roots or the words moving with the seed), I don't see the point, particularly if there are interwikilinks to the other languages. WLU 20:59, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Laxative Effect

I am finding that it is common to use flax seed as a laxative. Does anybody want to add this to the health benefits section?--Remark knights (talk) 13:39, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

It makes sense given the amount of both soluble and insoluble fiber I think there is in flax, but it'd be nice to source it. The mayo clinic says there's some support, so I'll add it. WLU (talk) 14:04, 29 December 2007 (UTC)