Flaxseed/Linseed/Hempseed Oil

JoeyG wrote:

I suffer with eczema and i've heard flaxseed oil is good to take internally and externally.

I cant find any the shops round here, only linseed and hempseed oil

How do these compare on nutrition and price?

You can buy Flaxseed oil from Holland and Barratt

Don't pay full price though - they are always having sales with huge (50-70% reductions) on selected products. Wait until the flaxseed is on offer, then buy the large bottle (500 tablets)

JoeyG wrote:

Thanks Pablo, do they also sell it in oil form so i can use on on my skin too?

I'm really interested in comparisons with linseed/hempseed oil too

Flaxseed is simply another name for linseed. They are one and the same, just different names for the same thing. If you want to compare them see this chart.
Comparison of various oils

It is nutritionally better to consume ground flax/linseed or Hempseed as that way you obtain other health benefits from the soluble/insoluble fibre and the lignans which are abundant. Krups Coffee mill is what I use to grind whole linseed into meal. It passes straight through you otherwise. I buy a bulk bag and grind a weeks supply which I keep in the fridge. The whole seed lasts a couple of years but once ground it starts to go off. Having extra Omega 3 EPA in the system does improve skin tone so you may benefit from both the oil to apply and the seed ground to meal to add to your food.

make sure u get an electric one otherwise it wont grind the flax...

i make a loaf from my flaxmeal which is quite tasty toasted

x

JoeyG wrote:

That sounds very nice, does it still retain its goodness even when toasted?

The grinder Ted recommended looks good, i will do some research and order one tonight

I suspect that toasting would be too high a temperature for the ALA to survive. If the linseed meal was in the cake mixture then it will survive. Some months ago I posted some technical guidance for bakers which showed the omega 3 content of baked items could be increased by adding linseed. It is a balance between time and temperature. If it's not too hot for not too long the omega 3 survives in sufficient quantity to be useful.

The Krupps grinder is identical in shape to the Tchibo one I bought a few years ago. (dropped the old one) but they aren't listing one at the moment. Lidl's and Aldis have them occasionally but at around the same price as the one from Amazon.
This link Linseed I posted earlier shows that a couple of tablespoons daily may reduce your cholesterol so another good reason for trying it.

vertical_fool wrote:

How much do you pay to bulk buy linseed? In what quantities and where from?

Vertical fool

From the farmer (next door) I pay 17p/kg thats all he gets. (as it's not been cleaned it goes in the chicken food)
For human consumption I buy a 5kg bag from the local healthfood shop. It packed by SUMA so any healthfood shop that has SUMA stuff on the shelves will be able to get you a bag if they haven't any instock. Just ask.
I pay around £5.75 for whole brown linseed. You will have to pay a bit more if you want it organic.
Do keep the bulk bag in a strong plastic bucket/container as the mice love it and will eat through the thick plastic bag it comes in very quickly indeed. I speak from personal experience here. The mice though clearly benefitted from an unlimited supply of linseed as they had the sleakest, shiniest, smartest coats you ever did see, when I caught them.