. 2014 Jan 10;51(9):1633–1653. doi: 10.1007/s13197-013-1247-9

Table 3.

Medicinal uses of flax described in history

About 650 B.C.	• Hippocrates, the father of medicine, advocated flax for the relief of abdominal pains; And Theophrastus recommended the use of flax mucilage as a cough remedy.
About 1st century A.D.	• Tacitus praised the virtues of flax.
About 8th century A.D.	• Charlemagne considered flax so important for the health of his subjects that he passed laws and regulations requiring its consumption.
About 15th century A.D.	• Hildegard von Bingen used flax meal in hot compresses for the treatment of both external and internal ailments