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| Latin: |
Fructus Tritici Levis |
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| Origin: |
Light wheat is the unripe seed of the annual cereal grass caryopsis of Triticum aestivum L., the wheat, of the family Gramineae (Poaceae), one of the oldest and most important of the cereal crops. Wheat is of uncertain origin, perhaps the Middle East or Armenia.
More of the world's farmland is devoted to wheat than to any other food crop; in the late 20th century about 570,000,000 acres were sown annually, with a total production of almost 600,000,000 metric tons. The world's largest producer is China, with an estimated annual yield of almost 100,000,000 metric tons. Other leading producers are the United States, Russia, India, Ukraine, France, Canada, Kazakstan, and Turkey.
The wheat plant grows to about 1.5 m high. It has long, slender leaves, stems that are hollow in most varieties. The stems have heads composed of varying numbers of flowers, ranging from 20 to 100. It is in flower from June to July. The flowers are grouped together in spikelets, each having two to six flowers. In most spikelets, two or three of the flowers become fertilized, producing grains. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by wind.The seeds ripen from August to September.
Of the thousands of varieties of wheat known, the most important are Triticum aestivum, used to make bread; T. durum, used in making pasta (alimentary pastes) such as spaghetti and macaroni; and T. compactum, or club wheat, a softer type, used for cake, crackers, cookies, pastries, and family flours.
Though grown under a wide range of climates and soils, wheat is best adapted to temperate regions with rainfall between 30 and 90 cm. It requires moist soil and cannot grow in the shade. It can tolerate strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Winter and spring wheat are the two major types of the crop, with the severity of the winter determining whether a winter or spring type is cultivated. Winter wheat is always sown in the fall; spring wheat is generally sown in the spring but can be sown in the fall where winters are mild.
Some wheat is simply prepared by soaking and cooking the grain for use in porridge, broth, or pudding. Most food uses, however, require more processing. The grain is cleaned and then conditioned by the addition of water, so that the kernel breaks up properly.
In milling, the grain is cracked and then passed through a series of rollers. As the smaller particles are sifted out, the coarser particles pass to other rollers for further reduction. About 72 percent of the milled grain is recovered as white flour. When a higher percentage is extracted, the flour is darker in colour. Flour made from the whole kernel is called graham flour and becomes rancid with prolonged storage because of the germ-oil content retained. White flour, which does not contain the germ, preserves longer.
The greatest portion of the wheat flour produced is used for breadmaking. Wheats grown in dry climates are generally hard types, having protein content of 11¡V15 percent and strong gluten (elastic protein). The hard type produces flour best suited for breadmaking. The wheats of humid areas are softer, with protein content of about 8¡V10 percent and weak gluten. The softer type of wheat produces flour suitable for cakes, crackers, cookies, and pastries and household flours. Durum wheat semolina (from the endosperm) is used for making pastas, or alimentary pastes.
Although most wheat is grown for human food, about 10 percent is retained for seed, small quantities are used by industry for production of starch, paste, malt, dextrose, gluten, alcohol, and other products. Inferior and surplus wheats and various milling byproducts are used for livestock feeds.
Light wheat refers to those dry and shrivelled grains which float on the surface of water. When wheat is harvested, winnow out the light and blighted grains and rinse them in water. Dry these in the sun for use when raw or after being parched.
Also called Blighted Wheat.
See also Herbs, Astringents, Wheat; and Food, Grains, Wheat. |
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| Properties: |
| Sweet in flavor, cool in nature, it is related to the heart, spleen and kidney channels. |
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| Functions: |
| Astringes perspiration, reinforces qi and removes heat. |
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| Applications: |
1. Treats spontaneous perspiration and night sweat:
Sweet in taste and cool in nature, light wheat can astringe cold sweat and can also reinforce qi, nourish the heart and remove heat.
a) Spontaneous perspiration due to yang deficiency or night sweat caused by yin deficiency:
Light wheat can be parched alone until brown, ground into powder and stirred with rice water for oral administration.
b) Spontaneous perspiration:
Light wheat can be used together with milk vetch root (Radix Astragali seu Hedysari), calcined oyster shell, ephedra root, etc., e.g., Muli San.
c) Night sweat:
Light wheat can be used in combination with Chinese magnoliavine fruit (Fructus Schisandrae), ophiopogon root, Chinese wolfberry root-bark (Cortex Lycii Radicis), etc., in order to nourish yin and astringe sweating.
d) Idiopathic (self originated, of unknown causation) sweating:
Use some light wheat and bake it brown. Grind as powder and swallow 10 g with warmed boiled water twice or three times a day.
2. Treats common, hectic or consumptive fever due to yin deficiency:
Light wheat can reinforce qi and yin and remove heat.
It is often used together with Zhejiang figwort root (Radix Scrophulariae), ophiopogon root, raw rehmannia, Chinese wolfberry root-bark (Cortex Lycii Radicis), etc., to nourish yin, clear away heat, astringe sweating and relieve hectic fever. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
15-30 g.
Decoct or grind into powder for oral administration. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
| Light wheat should be avoided by anyone with perspiration due to attacks by pathogens from the exterior. |
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| Reference Materials: |
Rudimentary Materia Medica : "Astringing night sweat."
The Compendium of Materia Medica : "Reinforcing qi and removing heat."
"Spontaneous perspiration and night sweat, hectic or consumptive fever due to yin deficiency and women's consumptive fever."
Herbs Traced to Shen Nong's Herbal : "Light wheat can astringe night sweat by removing heat from the skin and muscles." |
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| Toxic or Side Effects: |
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| Modern Researches: |
The composition of the wheat grain, a major source of energy in the human diet, varies somewhat with differences in climate and soil. On an average, the kernel contains 12 percent water, 70 percent carbohydrates, 12 percent protein, 2 percent fat, 1.8 percent minerals, and 2.2 percent crude fibres. A pound of wheat contains about 1,500 calories (100 grams contains about 330 calories).
Thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and small amounts of vitamin A are present, but the milling processes remove the bran and germ, where these vitamins are found in the greatest abundance.
Light wheat contains protein, starch, saccharin, fat, cellulose, ergosteriod, lecithin, allantoin, amylase and vitamin B.
The young stems are used in the treatment of biliousness (suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile) and intoxication. The ash of the stem is used to remove skin blemishes.
The seed is said to contain sex hormones and has been used in China to promote female fertility.
The seedsprouts are antibilious, antivenins (treats poisoning by animal venom) and constructive. They are used in the treatment of malaise, sore throat, thirst, abdominal coldness and spasmic pain, constipation and cough.
The fruit is antipyretic (reduces fever) and sedative.
The plant has anticancer properties. |
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