Flax

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Turkey, ", Belgium, Germany, US(Amerindian), Spain, US, India*

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Anodyne, Astringent, Boil, Bronchitis

Science studied: ACETIC-ACID, ALANINE, APIGENIN, L-ARABINOSE

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Linaceae

Scientific name: Linum usitatissimum

Common names: Flax, Linseed, Almindelig hør, Common Flax, Common flax, Echter Lein, Flaaks, Flachs, Flachs (DE); Common flax (EN); Lino (ES), Gekweekt vlas, Gemeiner Lein

POWO: 544772-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone

History

The source record documents this plant in Turkey, Elsewhere, ", Belgium, Germany, US(Amerindian), Spain, US and 12 additional places.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Anodyne
• Astringent
• Boil
• Bronchitis
• Burn
• Cancer
• Cancer(Skin)
• Carbuncle

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Turkey
• Elsewhere
• "
• Belgium
• Germany
• US(Amerindian)
• Spain
• US
• India*
• China
• India(Santal)
• Iraq

Documented cultural uses

• Anodyne
• Astringent
• Boil
• Bronchitis
• Burn
• Cancer
• Cancer(Skin)
• Carbuncle
• Corn
• Cough
• Cyanogenetic
• Demulcent

Cultural record detail

These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.

• Anodyne · Turkey · "
• Astringent · Elsewhere · "
• Boil · Elsewhere · "
• Bronchitis · Elsewhere · "
• Burn · " · "
• Cancer · Belgium · "
• Cancer · Germany · "
• Cancer(Skin) · US(Amerindian) · "
• Carbuncle · Elsewhere · "
• Corn · Spain · "
• Cough · Elsewhere · "
• Cyanogenetic · Elsewhere · "
• Cyanogenetic · US · "
• Demulcent · India* · "
• Demulcent · " · "
• Diarrhea · China · "
• Diarrhea · Elsewhere · "
• Diuretic · India* · "
• Emollient · Turkey · "
• Emollient · Spain · "
• Emollient · Elsewhere · "
• Emollient · India* · "
• Emollient · " · "
• Expectorant · Turkey · "

36 additional documented entries remain in the source record.

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Nuclear DNA Amount in a Diverse Collection of Linum usitatissimum Accessions · 2026 source ↗
• Mechanisms of intrusive growth of secondary xylem fibers in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). · 2026 source ↗
• Genetic transformation and genome editing of flax (<i>Linum usitatissimum</i> L.): current status and future perspectives. · 2026 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• ACETIC-ACID
• ALANINE
• APIGENIN
• L-ARABINOSE
• L-ARABANOFURANOSE
• ASH
• AUXINE-ESTER
• DELTA-5-AVENASTEROL
• CAFFEIC-ACID-ESTER
• CALCIUM
• CAMPESTEROL
• CARBOHYDRATES
• BETA-CAROTENE
• CAROTENES
• CEROTIC-ACID
• CERYL-ALCOHOL

Legality

No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.

Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.

Reference images

Sources

Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

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