Flaxseed

Flaxseed (Semen Lini), from Linum usitatissimum L. (family Linaceae). A variety of flax that was cultivated in Assyria 4-5 thousand years ago, and is still grown in Egypt (Linum usitatissimum L. var. egyptiacum). The commercial product is dry, mature seeds, 4-5 mm in length and about 2 mm in thickness. The cells of flaxseed, under the influence of water, swell, and the upper walls of the cells, unable to withstand the pressure, burst, and the accumulated liquid in the cells—mucilage—flows out; this explains the obtaining of a mucilaginous liquid or paste when the seeds are moistened with hot water. Flaxseed from our latitudes contains on average 30% fatty oil (see Flaxseed oil), up to 25% protein substances, 6% mucilage, and 3-6% ash; there is no starch in flaxseed. In medicine, flaxseed is used as a laxative in teaspoonfuls (French doctors), for the preparation of a decoction (Decoctum Lini, or Mucilago Seminis Lini), for rinses and eye compresses. The powder of flaxseed (Farina Lini) used for cataplasms, to avoid bitterness, is prepared according to the instructions of the USSR Pharmacopoeia.