William Schnell said:
>>I used fresh ground flax for more than a year. Found that it improved
appearance of skin and hair. Stopped using it when I learned of "phytates",
which are said to be present in the surface of all seeds, and interfere with
the absorption of nutrients.

My commnent:
Some individuals find that grinding flax seeds and eating them (as opposed
to feeding them to your chickens, for example), causes flatulence worse than
bean gass!  Flax oil, if virgin pressed, bottled properly, kept refrigerated
and used in a timely manner need not be rancid or taste bad.  I quite like
the taste on cooked vegetables or salads or used in salad dressings or
mayonnaise (with olive oil).  I've tried the flax seeds, ground up freshly,
enough times not to want to consume them.

Cheers,
Rachel