Buckwheat's comprehensive and abundant nutrition: nutritional components and therapeutic effects
63. Buckwheat, a source of comprehensive and abundant nutrition.
Dietary therapy should be used in conjunction with treatment, and dietary supplements are worse than medicinal supplements. We often overlook a food in our daily health-preserving diet: buckwheat. It is a nutritionally complete and abundant grain, with a nutritional value far exceeding that of corn, rice, and wheat.
The protein composition of buckwheat differs significantly from other grains. It contains both salt-soluble globulins and water-soluble albumins, which together account for more than half of its total protein content, making it very similar to legumes. Furthermore, it contains a large amount of lysine, a substance generally absent in other grains. Its histidine and arginine content is also significantly higher than that of common grains. If we use an amino acid comparison: with eggs as 100, milk is 95, buckwheat is 93, while rice and wheat are only 67 and 63, respectively.
Nutritional components of buckwheat
Buckwheat is rich in minerals and has unique starch properties. Starch can be classified into three categories according to its digestibility: resistant starch, slow-digesting starch, and fast-digesting starch. Buckwheat starch has very low digestibility and contains inhibitors of β-amylase and α-amylase, which play a key role in the conversion of starch into sugars.
Buckwheat is rich in various vitamins, including bioflavonoids (vitamin P), which can reduce microvascular permeability and fragility, and have good therapeutic and preventive effects on cardiovascular diseases, cerebral arteriosclerosis, and vision improvement. Buckwheat also contains a large amount of bioflavonoids not found in other grains, and is rich in vitamins B₁ and B₂, among others.
Buckwheat is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Oleic acid in the human body is synthesized into arachidonic acid, an important component in the synthesis of brain nerves and prostaglandins that play a vital role in regulating human physiological functions. Unsaturated fatty acids can promote the excretion of bile acids and cholesterol, lowering cholesterol levels and having an excellent lipid-lowering effect. Buckwheat fat is rich in various fatty acids, but linoleic acid and oleic acid account for about 80%, which are basically unsaturated fatty acids.
Buckwheat has a relatively high fat content, ranging from 2.1% to 2.8%. It is solid at room temperature, tasteless, and yellowish-green, quite different from other cereal grains. The fat composition of buckwheat is relatively good, containing nine fatty acids, the most abundant being antioxidant and highly stable unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and oleic acid, accounting for 87% of the total fatty acids. Buckwheat also contains an unknown acid, myristic acid, and stearic acid. Myristic acid accounts for 0.35%, and stearic acid for 2.51%. The fatty acid content of buckwheat can vary depending on the growing region.
The starch in buckwheat is similar to that in rice, except that the granules are larger. Compared to other cereal starches, buckwheat starch is more easily digested and absorbed by the body. The dietary fiber content of bitter buckwheat flour is 3.4%–5.2%, of which soluble dietary fiber accounts for 20%–30% of the total, higher than the 8% dietary fiber content of corn flour. Sweet buckwheat flour has a dietary fiber content of 60.39%, which is 3.5 times that of rice and 1.7 times that of wheat flour. Consuming bitter buckwheat can lower LDL cholesterol and serum total cholesterol levels. Furthermore, the dietary fiber in bitter buckwheat also has the effect of synthesizing amino peptides.
The medicinal properties of buckwheat
(1) Buckwheat Life-Saving Pill: Take an appropriate amount of buckwheat, stir-fry until slightly charred, grind into a fine powder, and make into pills with water. Take 6 grams each time, with a decoction of shepherd's purse or with warm water. This formula utilizes the effects of buckwheat in clearing damp heat and strengthening the spleen. It is suitable for mild diarrhea, cloudy white urine, or spleen deficiency with damp heat descending to the lower body.
(2) Buckwheat and Radish Seed Powder: 10g radish seeds, 30g *Gnaphalium affine*, 15g buckwheat. Grind into a fine powder. Take 10g each time with warm water. Radish seeds are for digestion and lowering qi, while *Gnaphalium affine* is for strengthening the spleen and aiding digestion. When combined with buckwheat, the effects of lowering qi, strengthening the spleen, and aiding digestion are greatly enhanced. It can be used for abdominal distension and pain, weak spleen and stomach function, and food stagnation.
(3) Buckwheat porridge: Cook shredded lean meat and washed buckwheat together until it is 80% cooked. Then add appropriate ingredients (carrots, cucumbers, etc.) and add salt to taste when it is almost cooked. This porridge has the effect of relieving asthma and cough, and has an excellent auxiliary therapeutic effect on cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. However, buckwheat is not easy to digest, so it is not advisable to eat too much.
(4) Buckwheat paste: 10 grams of buckwheat flour, stir-fried until fragrant, then cooked into a thin paste with water and consumed. This formula utilizes the function of buckwheat in relieving intestinal discomfort and regulating qi, and can be used for abdominal pain, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal upset in summer.
Buckwheat is also rich in selenium, which has immune-regulating and antioxidant functions. In the human body, it can combine with other metals to form an unstable "metalloselenoprotein" complex, which is very effective in eliminating toxins from the body. Buckwheat is practically a natural source of selenium. As we all know, selenium is the "king of anti-cancer agents," so moderate intake of buckwheat also has a significant effect on cancer prevention.