Flax Juice
#18180 - 08/22/03 12:36 PM
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Krysiana
Reged: 05/17/03
Posts: 17
Loc: NY
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I noted there were a number of posts out there on the benefits of flax seed oil and ground flax, but no posts on "flax juice", and I'm wondering if any of you folks were familiar with it. My grandmother swears by it, and has a small glass every day to keep regular. I just started trying it, since I have severe C, and it seems to help, like a sugar free, internal lubricant without any sugar - a natural citrucel.
Though I'm not sure of the proper ratios (been eyeballing it), she boils water, adds a small quantity of whole flax seeds, and boils it up until the mucusy stuff comes out (the bubbles kind of look thick when it is ready). Then she strains most of the seeds out with a mesh strainer, and pours the "juice" into a pitcher. You drink it as think as you can tolerate (I make it half a glass of goo to half a glass of water  )It lasts for about 3-5 days.
So, any one heard of this before? Just wondering if I'm doing the right thing here. And if I am, I wanted to spread the good word.
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Sounds like a lot of trouble when you can just pour the Citrucel or other fiber supplement in a glass and down it. I guess I'm LAZY! What happens when you are away from home and need it?
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Although it's not as convenient as Citrucel or Fibercon, the naturalness of it is appealing.
Have you noticed it causing more or less bloating/gas than store bought fiber supps? (Did you bloat or have gas from store brands?) If it doesn't cause bloating and gas, and still has the same effectivness as other fiber supps, this may be a good option for those who can't tolerate the mixes or pills.
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Nicole
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
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This sounds like a good, much less expensive AND healthier (ie: no sugar) AM drink before bkfst instead of citrucel, so exact recipe would be much appreciated.
I'm also interested to hear if it causes gas or bloating??
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Many years of C-IBS and pain too for past 2 years-
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Unfortunatly she lives far away from me, and for her cooking is "A dash of this, a pinch of that...". Translating that and playing around with it, here's what I got:
6 cups of water (I use filtered/bottled)
a 1/4 cup of whole flax seed (I use the dark brown kind from Arrowhead mills)
Put the stove on high heat, and get the water to a rolling boil. Then add the seeds - keep the temp high!
About 6-8 minutes later, you'll notice the rolling bubbles getting a little slower, thicker (if you check the water with a spoon, it kind of pours like a thin syrup). Turn the heat off, and let it cool a little (about 10 minutes).
Pour the "juice" through a mesh strainer, into a pitcher. My grandma likes to leave some of the used seeds in the the pitcher, but I don't think it's a requirement - if you do, don't drink them - it's time to make a new batch! Store in the refrigerator. We drink it cold.
When you're ready to have a glass (just one a day seems to do!), drink as thick as you can tolerate. I guesstimate I drink half juice, half water. I've never seen it go bad, but of course, I probably drink it too quickly to say for sure.
From my personal experience, and experiments with this I can tell you that:
- It isn't the most wonderful tasting drink you'll ever have, but it'll be worth it. It's like thick water with a hint of iron flavor. So just hold your nose and drink it down. For me a small glass (6 oz?) does the trick; I drink enough till I am comfortably full.
-The juice began to relieve the doubling over pains I get down the left side from C in about two days - in fact, about a week after I actually went to the bathroom and was startled that I didn't feel any pain! I was so happy I cried. I stopped drinking it for a few days, just to see what would happen, and it was back to the old painful routine. It's not a cure, just a temporary relief similar to citrucel.
-I would not advise going "flax seed happy" as I did - too much flax juice, and flax seed in your foods, might make you go from C to D. Though ground flax in food tastes better, I found that my body makes better, faster use of the liquid form (probably because there's no insoluble fiber in the way).
Anyway, I hope this recipe helps you gays and gals out there. Remember though, this is old family wisdom, not doctors advice- try it out, experiment, but above all, listen to your body's wishes!
And if it works for you...do let me know! 
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I can tell you I did have horrible bloating and gas from the pills (like fibercon). I never experienced any gas/bloat problems with the powders like citrucel, but as a hypoglycemic with multiple food allergies, I find the flax juice to be less irritating to my system. Not to mention I don't have to chug-a-lug till I burst! 
I wish I could guarantee the same effectiveness for everyone else (gosh I hope so!) - all I could say is give it a shot if you need to go au natural!
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Yes, it is a pain in the rump intially, but you make a big batch and then you don't have to worry about it at all for some time. As a plus, no need to keep stirring it about to keep it from getting clumpy - no need to chug it fast (though the flavor might encourage it!).
Honestly speaking, I've haven't traveled too much because of all my dietary requirements, but it's about as convenient as carrying the powder - just take a little baggie of the seed with you. I found that one heaping tablespoon to a mug of boiling water works nicely. When I was in a rush once and couldn't wait for it to get cold during a social occasion, I pretended it was tea, threw a chamomile tea in the juice/water and drank it. I don't think it was quite as effective, but it tasted better, appeared normal to the outside world, and was better than nothing!
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