Linseed oil in capsules: types, chemical composition and application
In Russia, such a food crop as flax has been known since ancient times. Even before the formation of Kievan Rus, flax was cultivated by every Slavic settlement throughout the East European Plain. This agricultural crop was one of the most revered by our ancestors, the productivity of which largely determined the life and prosperity of each farmstead. “Flax feeds and clothes” - our ancestors thought so, and they were absolutely right.
Linen clothing is still of high value to this day, and oil is made from the seeds of this plant, which is not only considered a food additive necessary to strengthen and maintain human health, but is also used in cosmetology, cooking and even the paint and varnish industry.
Peculiarities
Flaxseed oil is produced from flax seeds by cold pressing. The product at its cost is considered inexpensive, but valuable in terms of chemical composition, containing a large number of useful components and having healing properties. Flax seed oil is recommended for both children and adults.
This natural product can be used as a medicine or as a food product - it can be seasoned with salads, added when baking flour products; in cosmetology, it is part of moisturizing creams and emulsions, and is also used in the manufacture of drying oil and some types of paints for painting.
For those who want to use flaxseed oil as a drug for healing the body, its capsule form is suitable. Oil produced in capsules is the most convenient due to the fact that the dosage of the drug can be calculated with the greatest accuracy, and in addition, the possibility of air oxidation of the product is excluded. The capsule, which contains linseed oil, contains gelatin and glycerin. This dosage form dissolves well in the digestive tract under the influence of gastric juice.
In order for flaxseed oil in capsules to be better absorbed, doctors advise not to take them with hot drinks and dishes - tea, coffee, soup.
It is best to drink this drug with plain boiled water at room temperature. It is ineffective to take dietary supplements together with laxatives or herbal tea used to cleanse the body.
Type of
In order to understand the specifics of industrial production of flaxseed oil and its quality levels, you need to know what the methods for obtaining and refining the product are.
Modern industrial production has the following methods for making linseed oil:
- cold press method - this methodology implies obtaining the finished product in a mode that preserves its valuable components.During cold pressing, the initial raw mass is not heated to a temperature of 120 degrees and it is not processed with chemicals. The final result of the extraction, despite the cloudy sediment, is a product with the highest quality characteristics, which retains the maximum amount of such precious natural substances. Such oil is unsuitable for frying, as it gives abundant foam, but this product is of the highest quality and most expensive and is used exclusively for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
- hot press method - the initial raw mass is crushed and heated to 120 degrees, while cake and the finished product are obtained. During the heating process, the minimum amount of useful substances remains in the oil, so it is used for culinary purposes.
- Extraction Method - the process takes place in two stages: first, oil is obtained from the initial crushed raw materials with the help of chemical components, and then chemical reagents are removed from this composition. The product obtained by this method contains few vitamins and components useful for human health, it contains an increased number of fatty acids, which worsens the taste properties of the oil and its smell. The possibility of long-term storage of such a product is small.
According to the method of processing the finished product, linseed oil is of the following types:
- hydrated oil This type of oil is treated with water to remove sediment-forming substances called phosphatides.
- Unrefined oil – in the manufacture of this type of oil, sediment is dealt with using centrifugation, settling and filtration techniques. The finished product retains its color, taste and has a specific smell.However, during long-term storage, the oil can become rancid and precipitate.
- Refined oil - this type of oil is obtained by treating the product with an alkaline component, which helps to neutralize the fatty acids that make up the oil. The finished product is not subject to precipitation and can be stored for a long time, but the color, taste and smell of the oil are very weak.
- Refined bleached and deodorized oil – in addition to the refining process, the product is bleached with clay and filtered through carbon filters. Thus, the output is a transparent, yellow-green oil without sediment and odor, in which the taste properties and odor are not very pronounced.
As a biologically active additive, cold-pressed oil that has been filtered is used. The product is available as a liquid in packaging from 50 to 250 milliliters or in capsules with an active substance content of 300 to 1360 milligrams.
Manufacturers
You can buy linseed oil at any pharmacy chain or through an online store. As a rule, the assortment in the distribution network is represented by domestic and foreign manufacturers of this product. According to consumer reviews, the leading positions among Russian manufacturers of flaxseed oil are occupied by the following companies:
- Company "Compass health" is not only a production complex, but also a scientific association that allows you to study the properties of raw materials and produce goods according to your own unique recipes and technologies. Linseed oil in capsules under the brand name of this brand is always of excellent quality and is packaged in an environmentally friendly container.
- "Evalar" company - modern pharmaceutical production, where the product cycle begins with the stage of growing raw materials and ends with the presentation of the finished product to the consumer. The product "Omega forte Evalar" is a cold-pressed linseed oil of the highest quality.
- Company "Fitokod" is an enterprise specializing in the production of biological food supplements on a plant basis. It produces flaxseed oil in capsules with the addition of chia seed oil (Spanish sage), so the trade name of the product is of the same name - "Chia". As a rule, oil in capsules is packed in 30, 60, 90 and 120 capsules.
What's better than liquid?
Flaxseed oil has a peculiarity - with insufficient purification during its production, the product acquires a slightly bitter aftertaste. The better this cleaning, the less bitter taste. The purity of the oil depends on the technology of its production, for each manufacturer they may be different. Therefore, oil packaged in capsules has another priority in its favor.
Capsules are easy to use - they are easily swallowed with liquid and do not have extraneous taste properties.
Benefit and harm
Flaxseed oil is a rather valuable and high-calorie product. When eating 100 grams of oil, your body will receive 885 kilocalories. In this volume, you can observe the following composition of healthy components:
- protein components - 0.12 g;
- fats - 99.99 g;
- water - 0.11 g;
- choline (vitamin B4) - 0.22 mg;
- tocopherol (vitamin E) - 0.48 mg;
- ß-tocopherol - 28.77 mg;
- γ-tocopherol - 1.66 mg;
- δ-tocopherol - 1.66 mg;
- phylloquinone (vitamin K) - 9.2 mcg;
- calcium - 1.12 mg;
- phosphorus - 1.11 mg;
- zinc - 0.08 mg;
- sterols - 333 mg;
- omega 3 fatty acids - 53.450 g;
- omena 6-fatty acids - 14.293 g;
- saturated fatty acids - 8.977 g;
- monounsaturated fatty acids - 18.437 g;
- polyunsaturated fatty acids - 67.850 g.
The rich composition of flaxseed oil often causes discussion among experts about the benefits of this remedy. However, there is a general unanimous opinion that this product has beneficial properties, valuable vitamins and is an indispensable source of fatty acids necessary for the human body throughout its life.
Flaxseed oil has the following indications for use:
- Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The remedy has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, prevents the appearance and development of ischemic processes in the heart muscle, and prevents an increase in arterial blood pressure caused by a violation of metabolic processes in the body. The drug well reduces the level of cholesterol and prevents the formation of atherosclerotic deposits on the walls of blood vessels. Flaxseed oil increases the elasticity of the vascular wall, reduces blood viscosity, and prevents thromboembolism.
- Diseases of the nervous system. It improves the transmission of impulses in nerve fibers, stimulates impulses of activity and inhibition in the cerebral cortex, reduces mental fatigue and increases the endurance of the nervous system during regular stressful loads.
- Diseases of the digestive tract. Improves the functioning of liver cells, pancreas, improves the process of digestion and digestibility of food. It has a slight stimulating effect in case of intestinal disorders and is a prophylactic agent for constipation, enterocolitis, intestinal atony. It has some anthelmintic ability.
- Immunity and body defenses. It has a good healing ability of tissues, improves the overall tone of the body, increases resistance to adverse environmental factors, and improves metabolic processes.
- Diseases of the endocrine system. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are part of the oil, improve metabolic processes in the body, stabilize the production of hormones, improve the breakdown of fats and normalize the work of the endocrine glands, as a result of which the state of diabetes mellitus stabilizes, and the processes of weight loss are accelerated with its overabundance.
- Diseases of the organs of the reproductive system. The general hormonal background improves, including the secretory function of the gonads, and oxidative processes in tissues slow down. With regular use of oil during puberty, girls have an increase in the bust. In men, on the background of taking the drug, an improvement in potency was noticed.
- Skin diseases. Increases the elasticity of the skin, their moisture and nutrition. The healing processes are accelerated and the general condition of the epidermis improves.
A dietary supplement in the form of flaxseed oil has certain contraindications and side effects, which are often the result of individual intolerance or occur when the dosage is violated.
It is not recommended to take flaxseed oil in the following cases:
- with liver diseases, hepatitis, the presence of stones in the gallbladder;
- with pancreatitis, especially in the acute stage;
- during pregnancy and during breastfeeding - since during pregnancy the effect of this remedy has not yet been fully studied, and during lactation this drug can change the taste of breast milk;
- children under the age of 14;
- with blood clotting disorders;
- with a tendency to allergies to product components.
Before you decide to start healing your body with flaxseed oil, check with your doctor about the dosage and duration of the course of use, and find out if you have any contraindications to the use of this herbal remedy.
How to choose?
In order to purchase a quality product that can benefit your body, You need to know and take into account the following nuances when choosing:
- Refuse to buy oil packaged in transparent plastic packaging. The rays of the sun passing through such packaging allow them to come into contact with plastic, entering into a chemical reaction with it and thereby starting oxidation processes, during which dangerous toxic substances are released into the oil.
- The most useful and high-quality oil is the one that is obtained by cold pressing. There are no chemical additives in this product and vitamins and other valuable components are completely preserved.
- The taste of fresh linseed oil may be slightly bitter and resemble fish oil, however, the product should not smell like fish. Also, the oil should not have the smell of roasted sunflower seeds. Foreign odors indicate that by-products have been added to the oil. Check it out by opening one capsule.
- If you prefer to buy small capsules, choose those preparations that have a margin of expiration equal to the time in which you have time to completely consume the entire product. Capsules that are damaged or stuck together are not suitable for consumption.
How to take?
Instructions for use of flaxseed oil recommends drinking this product on an empty stomach, half an hour before meals.Those who have set themselves the goal of losing excess weight use flax oil in the morning, afternoon and evening before meals. This method allows you to improve the processes of cleansing the body, complexion, and also has a beneficial effect on the elasticity of the skin.
The oil should be taken one capsule at a time.
The daily rate should not exceed three pieces - it is this dosage every day that will help saturate your body with the necessary amount of Omega 3 fatty acids.
There is an opinion of doctors that a ten-day course of taking oil is enough to keep the body in working order. In the event that, for one reason or another, it is not possible to take oil as an independent product, this remedy can be used in combination with other food products - salads, cereals, but at the same time, heat treatment of this biological additive should not be allowed so that it does not lose its valuable properties.
From the reviews of gastroenterologists, it follows that flaxseed oil is a good prophylactic against diseases of the digestive system. If you carry out a course of prevention four times a year in courses of 10 days, you can improve the condition of the digestive tract and normalize the overall metabolism in the body. In addition, oil intake is effective in healing ulcers and erosions in the stomach and intestines, and is also a prevention of constipation when eating heavy and poorly digested food.
How to store?
Linseed oil does not like exposure to ultraviolet sunlight and high temperatures. It is best to store it in a cold and dark place at a temperature not exceeding 5 degrees. The ideal option for this is a refrigerator. Try to use the oil in a timely manner, while not violating the storage conditions.
If after some time you see that the color and consistency of the product in the capsule have changed, this means that the oil has deteriorated and it can no longer be used in food.
For an overview of flaxseed oil capsules, see the following video.