Fagopyri Esculenti Fructus
Aliases：Huā Mài (Flower Wheat); Wū Mài (Black Wheat); Yóu Mài (Naked Oat Buckwheat); Huā Qiáo (Flower Buckwheat); Tián Qiáo (Sweet Buckwheat); Qiáo Zǐ (Buckwheat Seed); Sān Jiǎo Mài (Triangular Wheat).
Qiáo Mài (Buckwheat) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the seed of Fagopyrum esculentum Moench ［ F. sagittatum Gilib.；Polygonum fagopyrum L. ］, a plant of the Polygonaceae family. As a medicinal and edible crop, buckwheat has a long history and is recorded in ancient texts such as the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu).
Efficacy & Actions
Strengthens the spleen and resolves accumulation; descends qi and relaxes the intestines; detoxifies and heals sores (promotes wound healing).
Indications
Used for gastrointestinal accumulation, diarrhea, dysentery, cholera-like spasms (dry cholera with severe abdominal pain), turbid leukorrhea (turbid urine discharge), leukorrhea (vaginal discharge), spontaneous sweating, night sweats, herpes, erysipelas, carbuncles, back abscesses, scrofula, and burns and scalds.
Modern Pharmacology
Regulation of blood glucose and lipids: Buckwheat polyphenols can inhibit the activity of starch-digesting enzymes, helping to lower blood sugar levels. Buckwheat can also lower blood lipids and effectively reduce cholesterol. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects: Buckwheat protein extracts can scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Tartary buckwheat exhibits multiple pharmacological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Eye protection and vascular softening: Buckwheat can protect vision, soften blood vessels, and help prevent cerebral hemorrhage. Promotion of intestinal motility: Rich in dietary fiber, buckwheat can promote gastrointestinal motility, relieve constipation, and prevent it. Other effects: Buckwheat also exhibits antibacterial, antitumor, and hepatoprotective effects, among others. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Ingredients
Flavonoids: Quercetin, quercitrin, hyperoside, rutin. Organic Acids: Salicylic acid, 4-hydroxybenzylamine, N-salicylidenesalicylamine. Fatty Acids: Oleic acid, linolenic acid. Others: Carotenoids, chlorophyll, trypsin inhibitors, etc.
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Prepared in pills or powder, or made into flour-based foods for consumption. Topical Application: Ground into powder and applied externally as a dusting or mixed for application.
Contraindications
Contraindicated in patients with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold. Should not be taken for a prolonged period. Should not be consumed in excess, as it may “stir up wind-qi and cause dizziness.” Should not be taken together with Ping Wei San (Stomach-Calming Powder) or alum. Consuming it after spring may “stir up cold-qi and trigger chronic diseases.” Eating it together with mutton, yellow croaker, or alum may be harmful.
Selected Formulas
For chronic accumulation in men and blood disorders in women without affecting vital qi (Bencao Gangmu, citing Duoneng Bishi, Tongxian San) Take 3 qian of buckwheat flour and 2.5 qian of Dahuang (Rhubarb), grind into powder. Take with wine at bedtime. For locked-jaw dysentery (Bencao Gangmu, citing Tanxian Jiexiao Fang) Take buckwheat flour, 2 qian each time, mixed with sugar water. For white turbid urine in men and red/white leukorrhea in women (Bencao Gangmu, citing Wei Yuanjun Jisheng Dan) Take Youmai (buckwheat), stir-fry until charred, grind into powder, mix with egg white to form pills the size of waxberry seeds. Take 50 pills each time with salt water, three times daily. For cough with dyspnea (Rumen Shiqin) Take 4 liang of buckwheat flour, 2 qian of tea powder, 2 liang of raw honey, and 1 bowl of water. Stir well and drink. For severe edema with dyspnea (Sheng Hui Fang) Take 1 qian of raw Daji (Euphorbia) and 2 qian of buckwheat flour. Mix with water to make a cake, roast until cooked, and grind into powder. Take on an empty stomach with tea, until urine and stool pass normally. For wind headache and eye disorders (Bencao Gangmu) Make buckwheat into coin-sized cakes, apply to the corners of the eyes, and moxibust with rice-sized moxa cones. For night sweats (Fangzheng Huiyao) Make buckwheat flour into dumplings in the morning, take on an empty stomach without oil or salt. For severe skin eruptions with ulceration (Baoqing Bencao Zhezhong) Spread buckwheat flour thickly on a cloth-covered mat, let the patient lie on it and roll. Within a few days, the scabs will fall off without scarring. For carbuncles, back sores, and all toxic swellings (Renzhai Zhizhi Fang) Take 2 liang each of buckwheat flour and sulfur, grind into powder. Mix with well water to make cakes and dry in the sun. For each use, dissolve one cake in water and apply. If painful, it will relieve pain; if not painful, it will cause pain. For corns (Bencao Cuoyao) Mix water chestnut juice with buckwheat and apply to the corn. The corn core will be removed after three days. For scrofula encircling the neck (Bencao Gangmu) Take equal parts of buckwheat (stir-fried, shelled), Haizao (Sargassum), and Jiangcan (stir-fried, silk removed). Grind into powder. Soak white plums in water, remove the flesh, and use half of it to make pills the size of mung beans with the powder. Take 60-70 pills after meals and before bed with rice water, five times daily. Avoid tofu, chicken, mutton, alcohol, and wheat products. For burns and scalds (Qixiao Liangfang) Stir-fry buckwheat flour until yellow, mix with well water and apply. For inguinal hernia (Bencao Gangmu, citing Sun Tianren Jixiao Fang) Take 4 liang each of buckwheat kernels (stir-fried, tips removed) and Huluba (fenugreek, wine-soaked and dried), and 1 liang of Xiaohuixiang (stir-fried). Grind into powder, make into wine-paste pills the size of waxberry seeds. Take 50 pills on an empty stomach with salt water or wine.
Daily Consumption
Buckwheat Noodles: Can be made into noodles, steamed buns, and other staple foods. It helps stimulate appetite, relax the intestines, descend qi, and resolve accumulation. Buckwheat Tea: Can be steeped and drunk as a tea. It helps regulate blood lipids and blood sugar. Buckwheat Congee: Cooked together with rice to make a congee. It helps strengthen the spleen and resolve accumulation.
Medicinal Parts
Dried seed.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture and insects.
