Hemp Seeds Vs. Flax Seeds
Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, “Nature’s most perfectly balanced oil” due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption. Omega 6 -Linoleic Acid (LA) : Omega 3 – Linolenic Acid (LNA). Hemp oil is also an excellent source of the LA derivative super-polyunsaturated Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) at 2.5-3% of volume*
* Based on EFA composition noted in research crop reports conducted in Manitoba and Canada during the last three years.
- Hemp 3:1 (deemed optimum)
- Flax 1:4
- Canola 2:1
- Soybean 7:1
- Hemp 2.5-3.5%
- Evening Primrose 9%
- Borage 24%
| Oils Containing both Omega 6 and Omega 3 (ratio) | Oils Containing GLA (percent of total EFAs) |
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Only Hemp seed oil contains Omega 6, Omega 3 and GLA
Only Hemp seed oil contains 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids – highest in the plant kingdom and unique among seed oils. Though flax oil is high in Omega 3, the perfect balance of hemp’s EFAs allows your body to best digest the excellent properties in hemp oil.
Flax oil is pressed from the seeds of Linum utilitatissimum, the source of linen fiber and an oil better known in this country as linseed oil, and after applying a chemical boiling process using heat and acid, commmonly used as the base for oil paints.
Boiled Linseed oil is classified as a “drying oil” and has been chemically modified to combine readily with oxygen and become thick and hard. This tendency to harden on exposure to air turns linseed oil into a useful industrial oil as a vehicle for pigment on canvas. (The word “canvas” by the way is a relative of “Cannabis,” because true canvas is made from hemp fiber.) You can also apply the same boiling process to hemp oil to create hemp oil based paints.
Flax and Linseed oils make excellent industrial sources for non-petrochemical oil based products but hemp oil is perfectly suited for eating thanks to its idea ratio of essential fatty acids.