The Biochemistry
Most oils give you one. Sacha Inchi gives you all three, in the ratio that matters.
Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 are not interchangeable. They occupy different positions in the fatty acid chain, follow different metabolic pathways, and do different work in the body. Almost every oil on the shelf is dominated by one of them and near-empty of the others.
Olive oil is essentially an Omega-9 oil. Sunflower oil is an Omega-6 oil. Flax is an Omega-3 oil with very little else. Sacha Inchi is the rare source that carries the full chain in a single unrefined press — and, uniquely, carries the two essential ones in a ratio below 1:1.
Figures for Olive, Sunflower and Flaxseed oils are commonly cited typical ranges for illustration, not lab results — they vary by cultivar and source. The Sacha Inchi figures are Plukenia’s own published analyses (see “Every batch, verified” below).
Full composition
Essential. The body cannot make it. Structural to every cell membrane, precursor to the anti-inflammatory eicosanoid pathway, and the primary structural fatty acid class of the brain.
Why the ratio matters more than the number
The modern Western diet delivers an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio commonly estimated between 15:1 and 20:1. The ancestral human diet sat closer to 1:1.
This matters because omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids compete for the same enzymes. A diet skewed toward omega-6 suppresses the conversion of ALA — so adding omega-3 to an omega-6-dominant diet delivers a fraction of the available benefit.
Sacha Inchi oil sits below 1:1. It does not merely add omega-3 to your diet. It shifts the ratio. Most oils marketed as healthy fats do the opposite.
This is why the complete chain is a genuine advantage rather than a label claim. A 3-6-9 blend assembled from three different refined oils gives you the three numbers. It does not give you the ratio — and the ratio is where the physiology happens.
Sacha Inchi vs. fish oil
Fish oil supplies EPA and DHA directly. Sacha Inchi supplies ALA, which your body must convert — and conversion efficiency is limited. If your objective is raising circulating EPA and DHA under clinical supervision, a marine or algal source is the right intervention. We say that plainly rather than sell around it.
Direct EPA/DHA delivery. The right choice when the objective is raising circulating EPA/DHA under clinical supervision.
Correcting a dietary Omega ratio — which EPA/DHA supplementation doesn’t accomplish at typical doses. No heavy metals, microplastics or PCBs. No rancidity problem. No fishery impact. Plus the full Omega chain, tocopherols, phytosterols and complete protein — not an isolated fraction in a capsule.
Why we refuse to refine
Standard industrial refining temperature (°C). Applied to a 48% ALA oil, it removes 30–50% of the tocopherols, strips the polyphenols, generates trans isomers and depletes the phytosterols.
What survives is colourless, odourless, cheap to produce — and nutritionally diminished. Plukenia presses within 24 hours of harvest, below 40°C, and does not refine. The oil that reaches you is pale gold, faintly green, unmistakably nutty. Those characteristics are the compounds still being present.
Why we refuse to refine
We will update this page if the evidence changes, in either direction.
ALA and LA are essential nutrients humans cannot synthesise.
Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol.
Sacha Inchi protein contains all nine essential amino acids — that is analytical chemistry, not inference.
Higher ALA intake is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in large observational cohorts, though observational data cannot establish causation.
Small human trials of Sacha Inchi oil have reported favourable lipid changes; they were short and need independent replication.
Direct cognitive benefit in controlled human trials.
Skin outcomes from oral intake.
Quality control
The 48% we publish is the mean of our own analyses from Putumayo and Nariño, not a figure borrowed from literature.
Full fatty acid profile, including the Omega 3, 6 and 9 fractions.
Tocopherol content and profile.
Heavy metals screening.
Screened every batch, third-party.
Screened every batch, third-party.
Screened every batch, third-party.
Full technical documentation
PDF · 40 pages
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