Flax seed

Flaxseed is the small seed of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum), best known today as a source of oil and valuable nutrients. Historically, however, it also played a role in textile-related production. In ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia, flaxseed was primarily used for extracting linseed oil through pressing, while the seeds themselves were considered a secondary product of flax cultivation focused mainly on fiber production. In traditional contexts, flaxseed was valued more for its oil and medicinal or nutritional uses than for direct textile use, but it remained closely connected to textile production as a byproduct of growing flax for linen fibers.