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| Latin: |
Fructus Tritici Aestivi |
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| Origin: |
Wheat is the ripe seed caryopsis of the cereal grass Triticum aestivum L., of the Gramineae (Poaceae) family. Wheat is the staple food in North China, and one of the oldest and most important of the cereal crops. The origin of wheat is uncertain, perhaps came from 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.
Also called Common Wheat, Bread Wheat.
Light wheat refers to those dry and shrivelled grains which float on the surface of water.
See also Herbs, Astringents, Light 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: |
Nourishes the heart and the mind; relieves perspiration due to asthenia (the lack or loss of strength and energy, weakness), restlessness; good for boils and carbuncles.
Wheat, when used as medicinal herb, is used for the treatment of emotional distress, weakness, restlessness and insomnia, women's hysteria, and skin infections. |
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| Applications: |
1. For hysteria:
Boil 30 g wheat grain coupled with 10 g licorice and 5 Chinese red dates in water. Consume the whole thing, once a day.
2. For insomnia:
Boil 60 g wheat grain, 25 pieces of Chinese red dates, 15 g licorice in 500-600 ml water with slow fire until 250 ml is left. Drink in 2 equal doses in the morning and evening.
3. For skin infections:
Use 1,000 g old wheat (produced at least in the previous year or even older). Add 3,000 ml water and immerse the wheat for 3 days. Pound the immersed wheat. Filter. Let the filtrate stand and then use its precipitate. Add vinegar to the precipitate to form a paste for external application. Effective for erysipelas (acute inflammation of the deep tissues and sometimes muscles), boils and carbuncles. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
30-60 g.
Decoct for oral administration.
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. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
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| Reference Materials: |
Rudimentary Materia Medica : "Astringing night sweat."
The Compendium of Materia Medica : "Reinforcing qi and removing heat." |
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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, ergosteriod, lecithin, allantoin, amylase, small amounts of vitamin A and vitamin B are present, but the milling processes remove the bran and germ, where these vitamins are found in the greatest abundance.
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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