CU Herb Society Herb of the Month

The many uses of flax include something for the weaver, painter, physician and cook, and it was one of the first crops domesticated by man. It is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region of Europe. The Swiss Lake Dwellers of the Stone Age produced flax, utilising the fiber as well as the seed. Linen produced from flax was used by the Egyptians. When the tomb of Rameses II was opened in the late 19th century, the linen wrapping of the mummified Pharaoh was found to be in excellent condition, along with jars of flax seed to sustain the king on his journey to the afterlife. Tomb paintings show the blue flowers of the flax plant.

With the increase in cotton production in the early 20th century, the use of flax as a fiber crop went into decline; it is now added to heavy woven cloths and synthetics. Today’s main flax production is for its oil-yielding seed. Linseed oil is produced from flax and is used by painters and in the production of linoleum.

Medicinally, flax may be used in pulmonary infections, especially in bronchitis, which is accompanied by a catarrh cough, and as a poultice for boils. The oil is present in many cough medicines. Flax’s active constituents are linoleic, linolenic and aleic acids, mucilage, protein, and the glycoside linamarin. Flax acts as a demulcent, antitussive, laxative, emollient and vulnerary.

Cooks have used flax seed whole and ground in breadmaking for many years and have added it to other whole grains for a hearty, healthy bread. Recently, there has been interest in seed flax as a health food because of its high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The active ingredients are better absorbed when the seed is ground. It is recommended that seed be ground only as needed and refrigerated, as once ground it loses its benefit and can spoil. CAUTION: Immature seeds are toxic—only mature seeds should be used. Therefore, it is recommended that you buy commercially grown seeds.

Flax is an annual that grows one- to four-feet tall on narrow sword-shaped leaves. Flowers can be white, red or, more commonly, blue (as grown at Meadowbrook Herb Garden). It is a delicate-looking plant, grown in dry, well-drained soil in open, sunny positions. Sow seeds in light, well-drained soil in spring or early summer. Keep weeded.

Thanks to Jane Flaxington (Saxon name meaning “flax in the meadow by the town”) for this report on flax. Jane’s family roots are in Yorkshire, which was an important cloth growing and producing area in the UK, well before and after the industrial revolution. Her sources were The Holistic Herbal by David Hoffmann, Culpeppers Color Herbal, The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremness, Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs and the Internet.

FLAX (Linum usitatissimum)

FLAX (Linum usitatissimum)