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Welcome to our September edition of Cosmetic Vegetable Oils.
Gold of Pleasure is our oil of the month, and
"back to school" will help you make up your mind about Saturated Fats or Unsaturated fats for cooking. And of course a selection of the most interesting questions you sent us.

Monthly Oil FlashGold of Pleasure (camelina sativa),
is also known as “false flax”, and has been called German sesame.
HISTORY:
The Gold of Pleasure has been cultivated across the mainland of Europe from as far back as Stone Age times, and in the Iron and Bronze ages was an important agricultural crop.  The seed yields an oil, which is of excellent nutritional quality and was also used as an illuminant and for cosmetic purposes, while the stems were utilized for making brushes, packaging, and thatching temporary buildings. From the Roman Empire to the discovery of gas and electricity, this oil was the favorite one used in oil lamps and also a common edible product. Camelina sativa belongs to the same family as oilseed rape, the Cruciferae, but is a different genus.


BOTANY:
Gold of Pleasure is an annual or over wintering herb originating in the Mediterranean to Central Asia. The seedlings of Camelina sativa are tiny but grow rapidly; mature plants often attain a height of 90 cm or more, and may branch freely.  It has branched smooth or hairy stems that become woody at maturity and range from 25 - 100 cm high. Leaves are arrow-shaped, 5 - 8 cm long with smooth edges, and a bright green color. Each stem bears many small yellow flowers each with 4 sepals and petals. The seeds, borne in pear shaped, capsules are 0.7 - 2.5 mm in diameter, orange to brown in color, and result from self-pollination, although they can be cross pollinated by visiting insects.


COMPOSITION:

Fatty acids Distribution in %
Arachidic C20:0
0-2
Gadoleic C20:1
9-17
Oleic C18:1
12-27
Linoleic C18:2
16-25
Alpha-Linolenic C18:3
30-42
Stearic C18:0
2-3
Palmitic C16:0
3-8


PROPERTIES:
Also known as Camelina Oil, this oil is an excellent source of a wide range of fatty acids, some rarely found in other seed oils.  As a matter of fact over 50% of the fatty acids in cold pressed Camelina oil are polyunsaturated.  The major polyunsaturates are alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3-fatty acid, approx 40%) and linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid, approx 15%), which you may remember from last month’s newsletter.  These fatty acids are known to reduce the LDL-cholesterol level in the blood and are good for heart and cardiovascular health.  Recent studies have shown that the natural oil produced by Gold of pleasure seeds contains an excellent balance of useful fatty acids, including some rarely found in other oil crops (e.g. omega 3 and essential fatty acids). The oil from gold of pleasure also contains a high content of tocopherols with the Vitamin E content being approx. 10mg/100g, and in general has a unique oxidative stability, which makes it ideal for cooking. The seed contains remarkable 37% - 45% oil by weight. The following countries have also expressed scientific interest in Camelina sativa. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK (IENICA 2000).

It is balanced oil - giving both moisturizing and lubricating properties. In addition to its use as an EFA supplement it is a wonderful oil for the kitchen, as Gold of Pleasure oil is considered a functional food and is great on salads, in dressings, for cooking (very stable), and as it has a mild like Almond like aroma it is pleasant and tasty, yet not over powering.


Research has also demonstrated further benefits of the oil.
1. In skin care products such as body lotions, bath foams and creams.
2. As a replacement for marine oils due to its similar fatty acids.
3. As a source of natural anti oxidants.


back to schoolSaturated Fats or Unsaturated fats for cooking:
Over the last few decades in America and Europe there has been much debate regarding which type of oils are optimal, and healthy when choosing to cook. This debate was actually what fueled the success of the margarine and hydrogenated oil industries, and ultimately led to the idea that Saturated Fats were dangerous. What was not revealed to the public was that this information was based on one clinical study in Russia, which it self was a copy of some earlier studies wherein a rabbit who is vegetarian by nature was fed high amounts of saturated fats. In this study (1) the rabbit developed arterial plaque, which as we all know by now is a precursor to heart attacks and other cardio-vascular disease. This is really no surprise, nor is it conclusive of any evidence of the effects of saturated fats within humans, as we by nature are not created to be vegetarian. This is important, as most saturated fats save coconut and palm kernel oil are animal based, i.e., meat, eggs, and dairy.

So what is the truth on this matter? Any scientist can tell you that when heated a saturated fat will stay stable, and not oxidize. When heating oil, only saturated oils will remain unchanged, and therefore retain their nature. Now that said there are some school of thought which believe Olive Oil is miraculously exempt from this and personally I am not ready to argue with millions of Italians (chuckle). What we do know for certain is that saturated oil is by far the healthiest oil to use when cooking, and the idea that saturated oils cause heart or artery disease is flawed. In-fact there have been several studies comparing vegetarian and omnivore (meat eating which means higher saturated fat consumption) cultures, as well as diverse cultures and diets world wide and the repeatedly show that there is no difference in either arterial plaque, or heart disease (2,3). So if this is true does it not make the best of sense to only cook with oil that will not god rancid during cooking? One that is stable and even when heated very much will not loose its natural state. Absolutely! So which oil you ask, well Coconut is one of the best. It contains 86.5% saturated fat; the highest of all vegetable oils, and with its mild flavor is suited for all most all your cooking needs. Enjoy what millions people in the tropics have for centuries, which is the actual benefits of healthy saturated fats for your cooking needs.

1. D Kritchevsky, et al, "Effect of Cholesterol Vehicle in Experimental Atherosclerosis", Am. J. Physiol. 178:30-32, July-September 1954
2.Laurie, W. et al, "Atherosclerosis and its Cerebral Complications in the South African Bantu", Lancet, February 1958, pp. 231-232
3.McGill, H. C. et al., "General Findings of the International Atherosclerosis Project," Laboratory Investigations 18(5):498, 1968

Your Questions
From P: If I am taking an oil internally for therapeutic reasons I am wondering if after the condition I am treating has healed should I continue taking the oil long term, and if so should I decrease the dosage?

Codina: P.thanks for this question this is actually a really important point. It is a great health benefit to take the medicinal oils internally even after a condition of imbalance.  Natural remedies such as healthy oils interact with the body in a very intelligent way.  That being the more out of balance one’s body is the stronger action the remedy will cause, and thusly push the body back into a state of balanced health. On the other hand when one continues taking the oil it has more of a gentle action, and provides more nourishment than correction. Almost every internal oil can be taken long term, and ultimately this is a wonderful way to keep the body at peak balance and strength, and no unlike drugs you will not become immune to the health benefits.


From P: I have notices that oils can range in prices. Some are inexpensive, and some are more expensive. Can you help me understand this more?

Codina: Yes P. this answer is one simply of quality. It is a much more involved and costly process to cold press an oil in small batches, and use high quality containers to ensure not only freshness, but that the medicinal quality of the oil is intact and at its peak. We also use premium quality base products. Each plant is carefully selected before it is cold pressed. Our goal is simply to deliver the best oil. This is the difference between mass produced oils and Codina oils.


From T: I use Shea-butter for my skin and hair, and I have noticed it is similar to coco-butter. I was wondering if it is edible like the coco-butter?

Codina: Yes T. you can actually use the Shea-butter just like coco-butter in the kitchen. In Africa for instance it is used as a food as well as a cosmetic.
Nevertheless as a food it does not contain the high nutritional value of our other oils. If you are looking for an oil to cook with, the Virgin Coconut Oil and Sesame Oil would be wonderful choices, and when not cooking we have many oils that go great with foods, such as Gold of Pleasure, Hemp Seed, Macadamia, and others.

NEW! Forum Codina: everything about vegetable oils health and skin.


Gold of Pleasure
September 2005