An annual herb. Stem cylindric erect, simple below ; 2-4 ft., often solitary, corymbosely branched above. Leaves narrow, linear or lanceolate, sub-3-nerved, without stipular. glands. Flowers 1in. diam., in broad cymes ; sepals 5, ovate-acuminate, 3-nerved, glandular, margins ciliate or not. Petals 5, crenate, contorted, fugacious, blue ; style, quite free ; stigmas linear-clavate. Carpels with, ciliated axile margins in the Indian plant, 5-celled ; cells 2-locellate, 2-ovuled. Capsule scarcely exceeding the narrowly white-margined sepals, 5-celled, septicidally splitting into 5 simple or 10 1-seeded Cocci. Seeds compressed, albumen sparing ; Embryo straight,
Parts used : —The seeds, oil and flowers.
Uses : — The Mahomedans consider it to be cold and dry, and that clothes made with the fibre, cool the body and lessen perspiration ; they recommend fumigation with the smoke, for colds in the head and hysteria, and use the tinder to staunch hæmorrhages. The flowers are said to be cardiacal, the seeds aphrodisiacal, and hot and dry. Linseed poultice is recommended for gouty and rheumatic swellings ; as an emollient, the mucilage is dropped into the eye ; with honey it is prescribed in coughs and colds. The roasted seeds are said to be astringent (Dymock).
The seeds are used internally for gonorrhœa and irritation of the genitourinary system. The flowers are considered a cardiac tonic (Emerson).
It is officinal in the Indian and the British Pharmacopœias. Medicinally, it is used for poultices.
The proteins of linseed were extracted with 0-2 per cent, potassium hydroxide solution and hvdrolysed with hydrochloric acid of sp. gr. 1-16 They yielded glycine traces ; alanine, 1-03 per cent. ; valine, 12.71 ; leucine and isoleucine, 3.97 ; proline, 2.85; phenylalanine, 4.14 ; aspartic acid, 1.65 ; glutamic acid, 11.58 ; 'serine, traces ; trosine, 0.65 ; arginine, 6.06 ; histidine, 1.66 ; lysine, 1.19; ammonia 1.94 ; and tryptophane, traces— in all amounting to 49.43 per cent. The chief feature of the hydrolysis is the very high proportion of valine, 12.7 per cent., as most proteins yield less than 1 per cent, of valine. The amount of tyrosine is exceptionally low and the accuracy of the methods of separating this amino-acid is open to doubt. Basic lead acetate precipitates from neutral or faintly alkaline solutions containing
