Chia (Salvia hispanica L) is a summer plant belonging to the mint family originally from South America. Growers now have available organic chia seed. Chia seeds provide a source of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. Chia seeds are can be added to bread and other baked goods.

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Chia seed has omega-3 fatty acids
Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic fatty acid derived from chia when fed as ground seed, whole seed and oil on lipid content and fatty acid composition of rat plasma.
Ann Nutr Metab. 2007;51(1):27-34.  Ayerza R Jr, Coates W. Office of Arid Lands Studies, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85637, USA.
To determine if 18:3n-3 fatty acids positively influence plasma composition, 32 male Wistar rats were fed ad libitum four isocaloric diets with the energy derived from corn oil (T(1)), whole chia seed (T(2)), ground chia seed (T(3)), or chia oil (T(4)) for 30 days. At the end of the feeding period the rats were sacrificed, and blood samples were analyzed to determine serum CHOL, HDL, LDL, TG content, hemogram, and fatty acid composition. Chia decreased serum TG content and increased HDL content. Only with the T(2) diet was TG significantly lower, and only with the T(3) diet was HDL significantly higher, than the control diet. Chia significantly increased the 18:3n-3, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 plasma contents compared to the control diet, with no significant difference among chia diets detected. Significant improvement in n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio was observed for all chia diets when compared to the control.

Chia Emails
Q. I received an email about "Chia Oil" and they said it is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
   A. I have not studied Chia seeds or chia oil enough to know for sure what percentage of chia oil is omega-3.

Q. I'm wondering if you've done any research on Chia Sage (Salvia Hispanica) as a source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
   A. Yes, chia seed appears to be a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Q. Have you done a comparison between chia seeds and flaxseeds? I have just heard of the chia seed. I am a long time user of fresh ground flax seed, but if chia is easier to store, digest etc and is more beneficial than flax seed maybe I should make the switch.
   A. Is an orange healthier than an apple? They both are a good addition to the diet. One option is to use a little bit of both since each seed will provide a different set of nutrients the body can use.

Q. What is the story about Salba grain? I've read that a Toronto-based firm claims to have developed the richest whole food source of omega-3 in the world. I read that Salba Research & Development's proprietary, eponymous product is derived from a variety of mint called Chia.  Apparently Larry Brown, president of Salvia company, says "It is the richest whole food source of omega-3 in the world. Two tablespoons of Salba gives you 3.0 mg of omega-3 and 5 mg of dietary fiber. It contains six times more calcium than milk."
   A. Salba appears to be a proprietary name for a chia seed product. Salba (Salvia hispanica L.). The only study we could find is below.

Supplementation of Conventional Therapy with the Novel Grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) Improves Major and Diabetes Care. 2007 Aug 8; Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Vuksan V, Whitham D, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins AL, Rogovik AL, Bazinet RP, Vidgen E, Hanna A. Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Using a single-blind, crossover design, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 37+/-4 g/day of Salba or wheat bran for 12 weeks while maintained on their conventional diabetes therapies. Compared to control, Salba reduced systolic blood pressure by 6 mmHg, hs-CRP (mg/L) by 40%, and vonWillebrand factor by 21%, with significant decreases in A1C and fibrinogen in relation to the Salba baseline but not with control. There were no changes in safety parameters including liver, kidney and haemostatic function or body weight. Both plasma ALA and EPA PUFA levels were increased two-fold while consuming Salba. Conclusions: Long-term supplementation with Salba attenuated a major cardiovascular risk factor and emerging factors (hs-CRP and vWF) safely beyond conventional therapy, while maintaining good glycemic and lipid control in people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.

Chia Seed emails
Q. i have been eating and drinking Chia for a while now. I left a bottle of chia in water out the other day and kept it out for a few days.. It developed a really bad smell, and developed some white moss or mist in the water. Do you know what this is called?
   A. My guess is that a fungus starting growing on the chia. What do you mean by a chia drink?
      Q. To make a chia drink, you just put chia seeds in water and after 3 minutes you can drink it, once it absorbs the water. I made a few tests, and everytime i left it out in a bottle for a few days, it would begin to ferment, or grow fungus.. i was just wondering how because chia seeds have a ton of antioxidants which should prevent this from occurring.
         A. Many herbs, seeds, plants, fruits and vegetables have antioxidants and antifungal substances, but they cannot prevent all types of fungi, molds, or other organisms from growing on them. It is a constant battle in nature with plants trying to prevent being consumed and organisms trying to consume them.