Linseed oil is mainly composed of α -linolenic acid, and also contains minerals such as protein, vitamin E, lecithin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It is a kind of high-grade edible oil with extremely rich nutrition.

According to "Compendium of Materia Medica" and other books, linseed oil has the effects of nourishing the five internal organs, invigorating qi, filling the marrow and brain, keeping fit, keeping young, strengthening bones and muscles, clearing eyes and ears, benefiting the large intestine, promoting blood circulation, moistening five viscera, blackening hair, tonifying deficiency, dispelling wind, and removing blood stasis and dredging channels.

The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1993, solemnly declared to the world that in view of the importance of α -linolenic acid and the general shortage of human intake, it was suggested that α -linolenic acid should be specially supplemented.