Talk:Flax/Archive 1

Production Volumes
This needs fixing but I don't have the data to do so. There is a table from 2007 with world production values by country, which conflicts with the information in the text above. Eg USA volumes are mentioned, it's not in the table of top producers, yet it's listed volumes would make it so MatthewCummins (talk) 06:49, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Four months versus one week for rancidity.
This lists two different souces with two different amounts of time before rancidity. But are these actually two separate processes? When looking up milling, I have to go to "Mill (ground)" or something like that. And is there any data on cracked flaxseed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.209.172.253 (talk) 08:50, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

This is confusing the way it's presented. the article should atleast state that there are conflicting viewpoints on stability. If processed flax is indeed as stable as some sources mention, why is the refined oil always refrigerated? I guess having both stats in here are fine, but the fact the statements conflict needs to be lampshaded... I have also heard word-of-mouth that ground flax rancidifies easily and very quickly, though I've yet to look at research. Koyae (talk) 17:52, 24 September 2011 (UTC)

I think the reason why someone put another statistic in there is because bread is one of the worst things you can make with flax. The oils conjeal and conjugate. It would be like baking with paint. If you want to store flax oil for a long time, then note that it won't freeze in your freezer. I've never tried flax bread. I won't. I am taking the dubious marker out. It is probably original research, and I do not doubt it. 173.181.123.26 (talk) 07:54, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

To my knowledge; Milling produces flour (it also produces "meal" when not done as finely). Grinding produces particles slightly larger than those in a flour, down to particles the size of flour (more or less a mix of meal and flour). If whole seeds last longer than ground seeds, then flour milled from the seed should last even less time - although meal should last longer. We have different, conflicting sources. There are many sources that state that milled flax seed is stable for months, and another that strongly implies that it should be stable for a matter of weeks or even days, as simple grinding produces a product with a shelflife of weeks. I think we should toss the odd one out, or at least clearly mark it as alternative view.

It seems likely that the minority view is from research with particle board and/or paint substrates, where the ALA has been modified to be artificially high, and the seeds might even have been processed to concentrate those ALA levels. It could perhaps reflect the properties of the ALA oxidizing and hardening, as noted by people who used taste as a measure for industrial purposes. This was often done in other industries as well, even with chemicals as harmful to taste as mercury. --—  r obbie  page talk 15:20, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

LINOLA - Modified Linseed/Flaxseed
I just updated the Linola page. Now I'll go back & cross refce to this one. This one, as well as the Omega 3 page, both show a pic of Linola - the modified Linseed. Linola does not have much Omega 3. Its little known, but its possible that people could be consuming Linola products, which is just common old Omega 6. These nice Golden photos could lead consumers astray. Buy the brown Linseed, as described here & on the Omega 3 page. Someone should replace the 2 photos. BTW, I first got interested in flaxseed by reading about a German scientist who claimed remarkable cures when used in conjunction with Quark, a sort of cottage cheese/yogurt mix. Her name was Johanna Budwig & her "remedy" is still in use. I'd like any info on the difference in fish oil in our digestive process as opposed to Flaxseed. I'm a believer in our evolving from little watery bugs, so perhaps we need more fishy stuff than seedy stuff Jimalgae (talk) 12:34, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

Flaxseed & Cadmium
Flaxseeds accumulates toxic Cadmium heavy metals, and should not be ingested in large amounts. So goes the word, any truth to this, and maybe a warning section would be fitting?
 * Until some research data can be cited, such information is, at least to me, suspect and I would not add it to the article. Supported with credible data, such a warning would be justified, in my opinion.  Dan Aquinas (talk) 18:08, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I recall someone mentioning this in my analytical chem lab. I still ingest large amounts of flaxseeds, though. Here you go: Isolation of cadmium-binding components from proteins of flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). From abstract: "Flaxseed contains the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) at concentrations often exceeding the recommended maximum dietary intake limit." And, Accumulation of cadmium and selected elements in flax seed grown on a calcareous soil. Marcipangris (talk) 18:24, 14 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Peanuts can do the same thing. I remember hearing about import restrictions on New Zealand peanuts, because they were grown in Cadmium rich soil. So, it's established. The information can go into the chart of nutrients. The question is: What is a typical Cadmium absorption level? FWIW, I figure that Cadmium is safer than Aluminum: At least you don't get competition with Boron. 75.158.108.5 (talk) 18:04, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Calorie Discrepancy
As of 26th May 2013 the discrepancy is less than documented by ravenarose below, but there is still an issue.

1) The text says 450 kcal per 100g and then lists constituent nutrients that total 561 kcal using commonly known ratios of 9 kcal/gm for fat and 4 kcal/gm for carbs and protein. Even adding the listed constituents should give a total should lower than the total kcal for 100g since non-fiber sources of calories are not listed.

2) The USDA table for flax seed also in the article is closer at 534 kcal and less internally inconsistent. (Some difference should be expected because the table is not for ground flax seed.)

As the citation at (1) is from a trade association and the citation at (2) is from a government agency, I would suggest dropping the paragraph at (1) altogether or replacing it with a reference to the table.

(original comment from ravenarose follows)

Wrishel (talk) 18:19, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

Pardon me if I'm missing something here...

The text of the main section says "One hundred grams of ground flax seed supplies about 450 kilo-calories..."

While the "Flax seed Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)" box shows "Energy 2,234 kcal."

Those are the same units, right? And the 2234 number makes no sense at all, right? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ravenarose (talk • contribs) 20:15, 10 December 2009 (UTC)

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)

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)
 * I don't know what happened to the discussion on the fatty acids, but flax/flaxoil is always recommended as a healthy food for it's omega-3 fatty acids. However it contains ALA (alpha linolenic acid) so it would make sense to link it to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Linolenic_acid

This is all relatively accurate http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/english/pdf/FFtsheet_Fish_Flax_R2.pdf EXCEPT (Please note) it is from an association who would prefer you to purchase flax instead of fish oil. (However, the composition and some other info might be good to add.) The short story is ALA is essential, but only called that because the body can't make it out of something else. The body can make the fish oil omega-3s (EPA and DHA) out of ALA, but it's more efficient to eat EPA/DHA (long chain omega 3 poly unsaturated fatty acids--LC omega-3 PUFAs) directly and in a lot of cases it's the lcPUFAs that give you the benefits. http://www.fatsoflife.com/metabolicfate.php  Someone with more time and Wiki experience than me (I can't even remember how to add links!)is welcome to add any appropriate info. Sigh Ns (talk) 19:44, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

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

Flaxseed should probably be avoided in men with prostate cancer.[Harvei S, Bjerve KS, Tretli S, et al. Prediagnostic level of fatty acids in serum phospholipids: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and the risk of prostate cancer. Int J Cancer. 1997;71:545-551] Chahol (talk) 07:33, 17 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Flaxseed Supplementation (not Dietary Fat Restriction) Reduces Prostate Cancer Proliferation Rates in Men Presurgery

Xkit (talk) 22:10, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

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)

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)

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)

Cyanogenic compounds in flax ( hydrogen cyanide / HCN, cyanogenic glucosides )
How much is a large quantity of flax, ounces, pounds, stones, tons? How much flax would contain sufficient hydrogen cyanide to be toxic? 89.240.55.109 (talk) 19:17, 24 July 2008 (UTC) Flax seed contains NO amygdalin. There are four cyanogenic glysosides in flax; linamarin and lotaustralin are monoglycosides present at high levels in the plant, immature seed and germinated seed (past 48 hours), linustatin and neolinustatin are diglycosides and are present only in mature seed. Toxicity is hard to gauge because although you may ingest a large amount of these glycosides, not all of it will be converted to cyanide; much of it will be excreted intact in urine and in feces and therefore not be toxic. Regarding the anti-cancer effects of flax seed, these are universally attributed and confirmed by numerous peer reviewed published clinical trials to be due to the estrogen mimicing effects of the lignan component SDG (which can be converted by gut bacteria to the estrogen analogue enterodiol). This means that dietary flax helps fight cancer types that are inhibited by estrogen. There is postulated that there is general protective effect due to the high phenolic content in flax seed, although the scientific world is still grappling with obtaining definitive proof that the antioxidant properties of phenolics equates to protection from cancer. 8-Mar-13 Ray Bacala, Oilseeds Research Chemist, Canadian Grain Commission, ray.bacala@grainscanada.gc.ca — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.193.154.10 (talk) 22:34, 8 March 2013 (UTC) I think that the cyanogenic glycoside section should be present in the Wiki article, but not as it was written. There is no amygdalin in flax or flax seed. There is a PILE of cyanogenic glycoside in the plant and in seed and some countries have importation limits for cyanogenic glycosides in seed for food (EU and Japan to name two). — Preceding unsigned comment added by WPGCHemist (talk • contribs) 16:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Flaxseed is a source of amygdalin, and there's been a low-intensity shooting war raging for the past thirty or forty years over whether amygdalin (and its synthetic derivative Laetrile) is a good means of curing cancer, or just a good means of dying of cyanide poisoning. There's a lot of bad blood and obvious financial incentives on both sides -- Krebs tried to get the stuff registered as a nutritional supplement to avoid FDA oversight; the main study discrediting him was rigged; another study that confirmed that Laetrile was partially useful against cancer was suppressed "to avoid public uneasiness" or thereabouts -- an abbreviated form of the sorry story is available on the Wikipedia page for amygdalin, linked to above. I think that if there's a peer-reviewed study confirming that flaxseed inhibits some cancers, as came up in the talkpage above, then that should be mentioned, and there should be a probably separate mention that flaxseed is a source of amygdalin, plus some brief reference to the controversies about Krebs and Laetrile -- unless the study explicitly attributes the prophylaxis to amygdalin, of course. ExOttoyuhr (talk) 21:22, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Wait a second -- I should really have done a little research first. First Google hit: [] -- flaxseed fighting cancer is non-controversial, in other words, barring the usual foibles of treating things with plants. I vote that the statement on cyanide be removed, unless it contains cyanide that isn't in amygdalin. Does anyone else have thoughts on this? ExOttoyuhr (talk) 21:37, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Flax and prostate cancer
I removed a statement that said the Mayo clinic has found that the alpha linolenic acid in flaxseed may be harmful for those with or predisposed to prostate cancer, and is recommending against its use for this purpose. The link for this statement mentioned no such thing, and in fact suggested that flaxseed may in fact be protective against prostate cancer. I searched the Mayo site for "flax" and "prostate" and found nothing supporting the statement I deleted. I normally wouldn't have made the edit and would have limited my observation to the discussion page, but since the public's health is at stake, accurate scientific information is crucial. I have no agenda here; if there is such research, my edits should be reversed and the correct research should be cited. The burden of proof is on the person making the claims. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.3.200.84 (talk) 16:37, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

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).
 * This is an interesting thought/idea. Do you have any research, or even just some examples to back up what, to me at least, appears to be a personal view? Dan Aquinas (talk) 17:32, 23 June 2009 (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 interested 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. Sсοττ 5834 talk 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)

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)

It would most likely be diarrhea due to the fact that flaxseeds cause the body to flush out intestinal waste. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rfilibert (talk • contribs) 17:37, 3 June 2010 (UTC)

In the US for home growth
Where can one buy flax seed suitable for growing flax for fibre? (In the USA) Thanks, --David Battle 01:27, 26 Nov 2004 (UTC)

In bulk the UK
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

please contact me for any amount of flax. Kenneth. Kenncity_international@yahoo.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.210.11.248 (talk) 11:49, 6 February 2009 (UTC)


 * 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.
 * I can not find the person or paragraph you mention. Evidently it was edited out. Dan Aquinas (talk) 18:14, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Oppose merge with Linum
First, the industrial flax is not using Linum but Linum usitatissimum. Secondly, flax and its industry and production process has nothing to do with the species. You could as well merge it with linen or lineseedoil, which is a possible next step in the production process. --Foroa (talk) 06:17, 17 September 2008 (UTC) AS nothing has happened for six months, I am removing the merge tag, according to consensus. Peterkingiron (talk) 22:11, 13 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I also oppose the merger. Linum concerns the genus.  This article is about Common Flax, a singificant commercial crop, producing the fibres for linen and an oil seed from which linseed oil comes.  This commerically significant speies needs its own article and should not be subsumed into one on the genus.  Similarly, the inclusion in this article of material on related species will clutter it up.  Leave it as it is.  Peterkingiron (talk) 15:02, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I feel the merger is inappropriate and will clutter the article. The common flax is an industrially and nutritionally important distinct species of the Linum genus. Unlike Arabidopsis conventionally indicating Arabidopsis thaliana or Medicago indicating either Medicago sativa or M. truncatula, Linum does not indicate Linum usitatissimum, hence this article should not be merged with Linum.

History?
The history of flax use and cultivation needs to be expanded. As is pointed out in the fiber sub-heading of the uses header "Flax fibers are amongst the oldest fiber crops in the world. The use of flax for the production of linen goes back [at least] 5000 years". This important historical use of flax fiber for linen clothing from ancient times and throughout the ages till our day should indeed be mentioned in the introduction along with the "In addition to referring to the plant itself, "flax" may refer to the unspun fibres of the flax plant.". I also think the mention of Ancient Egypt is rather out of the blue where it is at the moment and should be checked with mentions of at least a few other ancient empires. Indeed the linen article should be linked, though it needs more info on uses through the ages as well... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiki-BT (talk • contribs) 02:14, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

fiber vs. fibre
Both of these spellings are used frequently in this article (Indeed, one section has fibre in the heading and then proceeds to use fiber multiple times in the prose.) Shouldn't it be standardized? -170.223.0.55 (talk) 23:54, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

I believe wiki's use the European way of spelling, which is fibre so i think fibre should be used. Guitarplex (talk) 01:41, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

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)

I have split a little bit of the content in the Cultivating section into a "Harvesting Methods" section, contributing my personal knowledge of mechanized harvesting (c. 1960s/70s) as "Method 1". "Method 2" is the content that existed before my edits, and *does* seem from some pre-mechanized manual as "24.6.188.3" suggests in comment above (it could be 1800's or 1600's, it's hard to tell). I hesitated to call the harvesting methods anything more than "1" and "2" in my editing, for I did not know if method 2 was indeed an pre-mechanized/old/ancient method, or something still employed in other areas of America or the world. Dan Aquinas (talk) 02:30, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

The content for Dressing Flax *is* interesting information (at least to me), so I would like an example of what parts of the description Loggie finds "pointless" (although that comment is from 2005, so perhaps my reading here in Oct of 2008 is moot.). I do think the information really, really, needs a reference citation / or statement clarifying the source to make it more worthwhile, even if only from a historical perspective. Dan Aquinas (talk) 02:30, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

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

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)


 * If you will trust my personal experience; I can understand why it is hard to understand the need for retting if one is only used to straw that comes from oat, wheat, or even hay (e.g., alfalfa); such straw should be considered "soft" compared to the much more durable and even *tough* "flax straw". If it helps, I would say flax straw is more similar to "weeds" in texture and strength than oat or wheat straw.  Baling up flax straw using the "old" method of square bales would wear holes in a pair of jeans in a few days of baling where as it would take a whole summer baling alfalfa straw to have the same effect.  I can now understand better the various retting processes (this is the first time I have seen them described for I only did the harvesting side), for it takes ingenuity to break the straw's outer "skin" down to get at the inner core where the desirable fibers are (without damaging those same fibers), without spending a huge amount of effort (i.e, still able to make a profit on one's efforts).

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)


 * I added some new content prior to the Retting section, and it seemed better to add my comments on same to "Cultivating and Dressing Flax" section above on this discussion page. With this new content I needed to restructure things a bit and added sections on "Harvesting".  The transition to the "Threshing" section that follows is still rough, even confusing.  Perhaps the Harvesting and Threshing sections could be combined and/or restructured to be much clearer??  That might then transition better into the retting section. Dan Aquinas (talk) 03:20, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Production Map Discrepancy
While the article states the majority of US flax production occurs in northern midwest states (South Dakota, North Dakota), the world map of global flax production shows major production only on the US east coast. 205.146.50.177 (talk) 00:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Over one year on, and the discrepancy is still there.
 * Agreed, no map is better than misleading map. Removing. --Bridgecross (talk) 19:05, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Radiator Triva
I removed this "*Flaxseed meal was sometimes used in the 1930s to plug automobile radiator leaks." 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)

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)

Request for photo of entire plant
I think the article would be significantly improved by the addition of a photo of an entire (mature) plant. As it is, I still wouldn't recognize one if I came across one. Thanks. --Tyranny Sue (talk) 23:28, 13 February 2010 (UTC)

Citations, folks
This article is severely lacking in citations. Whole sections are without citation, such as the Canadian GM controversy. MarkinBoston (talk) 22:09, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Towhead or Toehead
I had never heard the term "towhead" till today when my wife mentioned as meaning a young blonde kid. Googling it, I found that toehead, toe head, tow head, or towhead are in fact a reference to blonde children as their hair resembles the tow from the process of towing the fibers. Here they refer to heckling with a heckle, rather than towing, or using a tow. Would this be something which would ad to the article? Flight Risk (talk) 23:36, 5 October 2012 (UTC)
 * The possible difference in meaning between heckling and towing would need a source. The  heckling article doesn't mention the word "towing" though it has only one relevant source.  I don't know about adding the variance in spelling to this article, but perhaps a link to the Wiktionary entry towhead would be in order.  I added a section to question the spelling on the Discussion  page there.  However, this article does have Wiktionary links to flax (which has "tow" in "See also") and flaxen (which has "tow" and "towhead" in "See also").  Winged Watermelon (don't text and fly) 21:09, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

Varieties?
Is there a separate article for the gardeners out there? Pictures of flowers and seeds for each kind of flax plant? I mean, I look up say, "morning glory" and see a ton of related species and varieties in the resulting articles or linked-to articles in them. The same for beans, peppers, or zinnias. The article on Phormium is for an entirely different family of plants, by the way. 75.70.89.124 (talk) 01:25, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, click on "Linum". Duh.   :D 75.70.89.124 (talk) 01:26, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

Production/Cultivation
There was a second-level heading "Cultivation" with just 2 paragraphs (1 about producing countries, 1 about producing regions); then there was another second-level heading "Production", with again a paragraph about producing countries, a table of producing countries, and many third-level headings with their own content.

I have
 * updated the table of producing countries from newer FAO data (newer version of old source)
 * removed the text that duplicated or contradicted the data in the table
 * rejiggled the headings, so "Cultivation" is an aspect of "Production" (like all the other sub-headings)

I mostly didn't like the duplication between texts under "Cultivation" and "Production", and then again the in table. This belongs in one place (never mind whether it's called "Cultivation" or "Production").

Also the text was very US centric (probably because of the source originally used), whereas the data shows that the US isn't all that important. If we elaborate so deeply about the 6th country, we should do at least similarly for the 5 countries above it in the list (if we can find the data). I don't think we need to enumerate (only) the US production data for several years; the only data that I thought we may want to keep, I have moved here:

Almost all of the United States crop is from the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana.

If someone thinks it's useful and fits somewhere nicely, feel free to move it there. (But then in would be good to find the main producing regions within Canada, China, Russia, etc.) A possible place would be a new column in the table, but then we'd need to make sure we don't misattribute that to the FAO source. 81.159.72.169 (talk) 17:49, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

Depression
I've heard that flax seeds can help with depression. Is this true?


 * Wikipedia does not provide medical advice so, regrettably, it is not possible to say. It may be possible to say whether flax seeds have or have not been used to treat depression, if there is a reliable and robust source that makes such a statement, but that will not necessarily indicate whether it is a useful or useless treatment. Sorry.  Velella  Velella Talk 08:09, 7 May 2014 (UTC)

Strength
Is flax a stronger fiber than linen, cotton or rayon in terms of stability. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.2.220.207 (talk) 16:47, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Drink from Flax seed
Some may want to have a look into various drinks from this. I'm wondering if this has been included in an alcoholic beverage. Thanks Mr Bill Truth (talk) 06:09, 1 November 2014 (UTC)
 * http://www.ellies-whole-grains.com/can-i-drink-flax-seed.html

conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA
Please add more details about omega acids quantities, and conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA.-71.174.175.150 (talk) 21:07, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Rancid flax product dangers
The flax oil in any product made with flax may go rancid, particularly if stored at room temperature. The article should say so, with appropriate examples and statistics.-71.174.175.150 (talk) 21:14, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Folk medicine
I moved this section out of the article as it is a weak review, is not WP:MEDRS sourced, and gives WP:UNDUE weight to potential uses in medicine. At best, this is a review of in vitro research for applications in folk medicine, which itself is obscure. --Zefr (talk) 14:27, 30 June 2016 (UTC)

Section removed:

Flax seeds have been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally (directly soaked or as tea) and externally (as compresses or oil extracts) for treatment of disorders of the respiratory tract, eyes, infections, cold, flu, fever, rheumatism, and gout. Supported by this publication.

Meta analysis in an journal with Impact factor 6.77
"In a meta-analysis of the effects of flaxseed on blood lipids profiles, it was found that flaxseed significantly reduced circulating total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, however, the changes were dependent on the type of intervention, sex, and initial lipid profiles of the subjects studied. "

User:Zefr not sure why you removed. The wording could be paraphrased a little more so did. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 23:45, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Incorrect Citation at Source Reference 32
The 32nd citation which links to the below source is not regarding flaxseed; instead, the citation links to a USDA nutritional breakdown of beef:

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3745?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=&sort=&qlookup=&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=

I am unable to edit the citations myself but I will provide the proper USDA link down below targeting flaxseed. Please update the incorrect citation. Thank you:

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3716?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=50&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=flaxseed&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=

JBernsteinIV (talk) 11:35, 9 August 2017 (UTC)

Cultivation
The current text does not make sense:


 * "Within eight weeks of sowing, the plant can reach 10 – in height, reaching 70 – within 50 days."

In other words, this says that within 56 days it can be 15cm tall, yet within only 50 days it can be 80cm tall. One of these phrases must be incorrect. No citation is given, so I cannot check the source for the facts. Perhaps the latter phrase meant to say "in another 50 days"?

- - Zulu Kane (talk) 14:46, 30 July 2020 (UTC)

Confusing numbers for days of cultivation
Can any of the authors clarify the paragraph on cultivation? I states that the plant grows 10-15 cm in eight weeks (56 days) then says it grows 70-80 cm in 50 days. I find this very confusing or contradictory.