Flax and Its Uses
Flax is a highly versatile crop, valued for its seed, oil, and fiber. Throughout history and currently flax is used in industries from food to paper to automobile. For the use of ground flaxseed in human food, please see our page titled "Eat Flaxseed and Stay Healthy." Keep reading for the myriad of its other uses!
Flaxseed – Linseed Oil – Flax Fiber
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is often fed to livestock, mainly chickens. Both flaxseed husks and ground flaxseed are common ingredients in chicken feed. Since the chickens have an increase of omega-3 fatty acid in their diet, the eggs they produce have six to eight times more omega-3 fatty acids. These "Omega eggs" are produced by two companies in the United States and 11 in Canada. In addition to the increased amount of omega-3, Omega eggs are significantly lower in cholesterol content.
Research is currently being conducted on the use of flaxseed in dairy cow diets to increase omega-3 in milk. However, research is inconclusive at this point.
Feeding flaxseed to breeding chickens and pigs has been shown to increase unsaturated fatty acids in their offspring, improving their health and chances of surviving to adulthood. Eating flaxseed can have similar beneficial effects for animals as humans.
Linseed Oil
Flaxseed oil, or linseed oil, has been used in painting since the Renaissance. Van Eyck used it to protect his paintings, since linseed oil forms a plastic-like film after drying. Currently, it's used as a drying agent in paints, varnishes, lacquer, and printing ink; however, its use has declined recently with the increased production of synthetic resins and latex. It's also a diluent in paints and coatings.
Despite the popularity of synthetics and latex, linseed oil has recently found a new market in protecting concrete streets and sidewalks from the destructive effects of regular cycles of freezing and thawing.
Linseed oil is sometimes added to livestock feed to increase protein intake.
Flax Fiber
Unlike flaxseed and linseed oil, flax straw is not fed to livestock since it is high on cellulose and prussic acid, which can poison animals in large amounts.
Flax fiber is traditionally used in textile production, and has been for centuries. (If you're interested in flax fabrics in history, please see our page titled "Flax Throughout the Ages.") While canvas and towels used to be made with heavy grades of flax, this is no longer common. Instead, flax-based fabric is currently woven using finer yarns that are often blended with wool or synthetic fibers.
Lower grades of flax fiber are used in the paper industry, most commonly for cigarette papers. The coarse fibers are also frequently chopped up and used for insulation and automobile manufacture. The chopped flax is mixed with plastics and other particle composite products and used as reinforcing material. In Europe, this substance is commonly marketed for use in visors, interior panels, and other parts of automobiles.
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