Properties and use of flax seeds
I flax seed they are small, oval and flattened: they are about 5 millimeters long and two millimeters wide. They have a rounded and a flattened tip and are bright brown in color.
I flax seed contain about 40% oil, 20-25% proteins and 10% mucilage. Linseeds also contain lignans and traces of chemical compounds called cyanogenic heterosides, which do not affect their intake.
The seeds constitute the drug of the flax plant e they are mainly used as laxatives, given the abundant presence of mucilage.
The mucilages in fact soften the stool, increase the fecal mass and play aanti-inflammatory action on the intestinal mucosa.
The intake of flax seeds is therefore very suitable in case of constipation, constipation or even if you suffer from irritable colon.
Flax seeds can be eaten whole or chopped in salads, soups, soups, yoghurt, smoothies, and doughs for bread and baked goods.
Alternatively, it is possible soak the flax seeds in water so that the mucilages contained in them are extracted: after extraction, water rich in mucilage is drunk to have a mild laxative effect.
The oil contained in flax seeds is remarkably unsaturated, as it is mainly made up of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid: for this reason, flax seeds they are kept for a limited time, beyond which they take on a rancid smell.
Infusion of flax seeds: the recipe
Prepare theinfusion of flax seeds it's very simple: just let a level spoonful of flax seeds soak in cold water.
The seeds must be left to soak for a few hours to allow the extraction of mucilage, substances with laxative and anti-inflammatory action.
For convenience, flax seeds are typically left in water overnight and the water is drunk the morning after waking up.
improve the flavor of flaxseed gel, it is possible to prepare an infusion with other plants and then use the lukewarm infusion to extract the mucilage from the seeds.
Alternatively, it is possible insert the flax seeds inside the herbal teas, adding a teaspoon of seeds in a cup of cold water: after having brought the water to a boil, turn off the heat, add the other herbs, leave to infuse for about ten minutes and finally filter and drink the infusion.
If barks, roots or other hard parts of the plant are used together with flax seeds, these will be inserted in cold water with the seeds. To prepare a infused with flax seeds and ginger, for example, both the seeds and the ginger root will be placed in cold water before bringing the water to a boil.
Flax, description and characteristics of the plant
Il linen (Linum usatussimum L.) is an annual herb belonging to the Linaceae family and probably native to the Caucasus and cultivated in Europe since ancient times.
La flax plant it can grow up to 80 centimeters in height and has simple, alternate, lanceolate leaves. The upper part of the stem is branched and bears solitary flowers generally of blue color.
The fruit is a globular capsule and the seeds they are small, flattened and oval, of a bright brown color. The plant is grown for its fibers and seeds.
Le fibers they are obtained from the caule of the plant and are made up of cellulose. They are obtained after fermentation of the stems, during which the cellulose is degraded into hemicellulose.
The fibers are used bytextile and paper industries and are also used to make the non-resorbable surgical thread.
I semi instead constitute the plant drug and are used in herbal medicine and phytotherapy.
