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| Latin: |
Fagopyrum esculentum |
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| Origin: |
Buckwheat is the seed of the herbaceous plant Fagopyrum esculentum Moench., of the Polygonaceae family, and is used as a cereal grain. Its name is probably derived from its resemblance to beechnut. Though it's similar to wheat in nutrition, buckwheat isn't actually a grain--it comes from a hardy, weed-like plant related to rhubarb. Buckwheat has a distinctive three-cornered tan seed. In Europe, toasted buckwheat--known as kasha--is its most popular form.
Believed to have originated in China, buckwheat is a staple grain crop in Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland; France, Canada, and the United States are also important producers.
The plant grows to a height of about 1.5 m and thrives best in cool, moist climates, although it does not easily tolerate frost. It can be grown on a wide range of soils, and a crop can be obtained within 10¡V12 weeks of sowing.
It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by bees and flies. Buckwheat flowers provide both pollen and nectar for bees. The seed is dark brown in color and often triangular in shape. Although the seeds are used as cereal, the plant is not one of the cereal grasses. It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Buckwheat is less productive than other grain crops on good soils but is particularly adapted to arid, hilly land and cool climates. Because it matures quickly, it can be grown as a late season crop. The plants improve conditions for the cultivation of other crops by smothering weeds and may be planted as a green manure crop that is plowed under to improve the soil.
The leaves and flowering stems that are used as herb are harvested as the plant begins to flower and are dried for later use. They should be stored in the dark because the active ingredients rapidly degrade in the light.
Buckwheat groats (the hulled kernels) are pale tan and green, and have a milder flavor. Kasha, or roasted buckwheat groats, has a deep brown color and a toastier, nuttier flavor. Buckwheat is available in grits and flour, and is used in pancakes, crackers, breads, and other baked goods. It is available year-round.
Also called Beechwheat. |
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| Properties: |
| Sweet in flavor and cool in nature, it is related to the channels of the spleen, stomach and large intestine. |
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| Functions: |
Strengthens the spleen and clears dampness, removes food stagnancy and keeps the adverse qi flowing downward, clears heat and detoxifies.
Buckwheat is a very good green manure plant, it can be used to reclaim badly degraded soils and subsoils. |
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| Applications: |
A white flour can be obtained from the buckwheat seeds (buckwheat cakes and pancakes are popular in certain areas), and buckwheat meal is also used in animal feed. The whole seed may be fed to poultry and game birds, and in England it is considered especially suitable for feeding pheasants.
Buckwheat flour is unsatisfactory for bread, but it is used in the United States and Canada, alone or mixed with wheat flour, to make griddle cakes called buckwheat cakes.
In eastern European cookery the hulled kernels, or groats, cooked and served much like rice, are called kasha, and in France they are called sayraisin.
As an herbal food, buckwheat is pleasant tasting and is frequently used medicinally because the leaves are a good source of rutin. Rutin is useful in the treatment of a wide range of circulatory problems, it dilates the blood vessels, reduces capillary permeability and lowers blood pressure.
Buckwheat is also used to treat summer cholera, retention of food in the stomach and intestines, chronic diarrhea, fasting dysentery, wandering erysipelas, lumbodorsal carbuncle, scrofula and scald burn.
A poultice made from the seeds has been used for restoring the flow of milk in nursing mothers.
An infusion of the food-herb has been used in the treatment of erysipelas (an acute infectious skin disease).
A homeopathic remedy has been made from the leaves. It is used in the treatment of eczema and liver disorders. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
To be made into thin porridge, or boluses or powder out of its flour for internal use.
Steam kasha in vegetable or chicken stock with minced onions, butter, and fresh parsley, or combine equal parts buckwheat groats and coarse corn meal, and cook as polenta or breakfast cereal.
Buckwheat can also be ground into powder for external application.
Find prepackaged buckwheat in most natural foods or grocery stores; buy in bulk for maximum savings. Store it in a cool, dry area in a sealed glass or plastic container, because air, moisture, and sunlight can cause the oils to go rancid. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
Buckwheat should not be taken for long, and it should be avoided if one suffers from insufficiency of the spleen-yang.
Also, buckwheat has caused photosensitivity in some people, only the dehusked grain is considered to be safe.
Some caution should be exercised in the use of the leaves and the flowering stems as herbs because they have been known to cause light-sensitive dermatitis. |
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| Reference Materials: |
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| Toxic or Side Effects: |
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| Modern Researches: |
Buckwheat contains about 60 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 2 percent fat, 15 percent fibre, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron, small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, nicotine acid, etc.
The leaves and shoots of the flowering plants are acrid, astringent and vasodilator (an agent that induces or initiates vasodilation, the widening of the lumen of blood vessels). They are used internally in the treatment of high blood pressure, gout, varicose veins, chilblains, radiation damage, etc.
They are best used in conjunction with vitamin C since this aids absorption. Often combined with lime flowers (Tilia species), it is a specific treatment for haemorrhage into the retina.
Buckwheat also contains three types of health protection elements. First, buckwheat has all eight essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be consumed; these are Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophen and Valine. In addition, buckwheat contains a very important flavone called Rutin. It is of the same class as Quercetin in onion and celery. The third type is D-Chiro-Inositol (DCI), short for Inositol, which has been shown to lower blood sugar quickly in patients with hyperglycemia. DCI has also been shown for cases of female who have suffered from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome to regain the ability to ovulate (see John E. Nestler, Daniela J. Jakubowicz, Paula Reamer, Ronald D. Gunn and Geoffrey Allan, "Ovulatory and Metabolic Effects of d-Chiro-Inositol in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 340, No. 17 (April 29, 1999), pp. 1,314-1,320.)
A blue dye is obtained from the stems.
A brown dye is obtained from the flowers. |
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