In the archives, I read that linseed meal can be a good supplement for horses. The company that I order bulk herbs from lists linseed meal as a form of flax seed, and mentions toxicity for humans if over-consumed. Are linseed and flax the same thing?

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), February 27, 2002

Answers

This link has information on linseed meal, http://www.ingredients101.com/lsm.htm

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 27, 2002.

Yes, linseed and flax are the same plant, and are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, but too much of a good thing is possible, moderation is the key.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), February 27, 2002.

Hello, I've fed ground flax seed for a couple of years now. It seems to help horses shed out in the Spring, and gives them a nice coat. I also feed it to my dairy goat. I buy whole flax seed which my local feed mill orders for me, then I grind it with a little, electric coffee bean grinder. Works great. I feed about 2/3 cup ground a day per horse and 1/2 c. to the goat. -- Cheers, Renee M.

-- Renee Martin (icehorse@altelco.net), February 28, 2002.

Any New Zealanders reading this page should ignore the suggestion of feeding flax to your horse. Linseed is, I believe, a small flowering herb and certainly not what we know as flax (formium tenax (sp?))

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), February 28, 2002.

In Canada at least, to the best of my knowledge, flax and linseed are the same. Linseed meal is crushed flax. Like one of the other people said, you can accomplish the same by grinding seeds in a coffee mill! I do not know of a toxicity - and if there is, I am sure it is a phenominal amount that a human would likely never consume!

-- Joc (horseaddict@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.