Buckwheat is often considered a tasty alternative to wheat. Have you heard about this pseudo-cereal? I am sure you must have, but the name would have been different. It is known as papparai in Tamil, okhla in Punjabi and kuttu in Hindi. Buckwheat is packed with nutrients and good amounts of energy. The flowers of the buckwheat plant have a pleasant fragrance with rich, pungent, malty, molasses and an earthy taste. These are used for manufacturing a strongly flavored, dark brown-colored honey. Buckwheat honey is used as treacle in bakery and barbecue.
# Buckwheat starch acts as fat in processed foods. Buckwheat is widely used in bakery for this reason.
# This contains good amounts of rutin. It can be obtained from the leaves of the buckwheat plant. This acts as a medicine to cure high blood pressure.
# Buckwheat hulls are popularly used as pillow stuffing. This helps to cure allergies from dust, feathers and pollen.
# New research has found buckwheat to be helpful in managing diabetes. This has a glycemic index of 54, which can lower blood sugar slowly unlike rice or wheat.
# Buckwheat is a yang food that is beneficial when consumed during the cold winters. Make this a part of your diet during winters for best benefits.
# Buckwheat doesn’t contain gluten and is not a grain. This is good for celiacs and gluten-sensitive people.
# Consume buckwheat regularly to reduce the risk of high cholesterol and hypertension. It can also lower LDL and increase HDL. This helps to prevent body fat, plasma cholesterol, and gallstones.
# This grain has good amounts of insoluble fiber that helps avoid gallstones in women. Furthermore, the fiber is also beneficial for childhood asthma.
# Buckwheat has phytonutrient plant lignans that get converted to mammalian lignans in your intestines. Enterolactone is useful to protect women from breast cancer.