Himalayan tartary buckwheat (HTB), known for its healing powers since ancient times, is now being cultivated in the United States. Deemed as a superfood due to its immense nutritional value, its unique healing compounds derive from the harsh conditions in which it was originally grown.
From its ancient origins in the tartan district of the Himalayan Mountains in China, HTB “has historically been used both as a tea and as a food for its healing powers,” Jeffrey Bland, who holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Oregon–Eugene, told The Epoch Times. “Over the millennia of the development of the plant, it developed a very significant immune system to defend itself against its environment.”
“That portfolio of nutrients is produced in very high levels in Tartary buckwheat,” he said.
Despite its name, HTB isn’t related to wheat at all.
“It’s a fruit seed,” Bland says. “It has no genetic relation to wheat, so it has no gluten.”
- Phytochemicals including rutin, quercetin, and the recently discovered 2-HOBA, also known as Hobamine
- High amounts of protein
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Potassium
- B vitamins
- D-chiro-inositol, a molecule involved in blood sugar regulation and hormone balance
- Soluble fiber and resistant starch
History
Himalayan Tartary buckwheat was cultivated in ancient China and is mentioned in the “Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine,” one of the original documents in Chinese literature on therapeutic herbs and plants, Bland said. It was brought to the Western world during the age of Marco Polo, and Europeans saw the benefits of cultivating the hardy plant.“This was seen by our colonial ancestors as a really important food product to bring to the new world. For the first 100 years in America, this was an important staple in our colonial diets.”
But the common buckwheat seed—the one that’s more familiar to Americans today—gradually edged out Himalayan Tartary buckwheat because the common variety has a higher yield per acre and a milder flavor, Bland said.
So, although Himalayan Tartary buckwheat has 50 to 100 times higher levels of immune-active substances than common buckwheat, its cultivation in the U.S. dwindled over the past 100 years.
That began to change when Bland surveyed U.S. farmers about four years ago to determine if anyone was growing Himalayan Tartary buckwheat. He found only one farmer who was: Sam Beer, a retired research agriculture professor at Cornell University.
Along with his wife, Lucia, Beer began to grow the crop on his small hobby farm in upstate New York after receiving some seeds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“He found that the plant was beautiful,” Bland said, who described it as tall and elegant. “And when he harvested the seeds, he found that, lo and behold, it had these unique nutritional characteristics.”
The Beers milled the seed on their farm and sold it locally. About three years ago, Bland founded Big Bold Health and partnered with the Beers and a cooperative of upstate New York organic farmers to revive Himalayan Tartary buckwheat in the United States.
Organic Methods Produce Hardier Food
“We are not treating Tartary buckwheat as a commodity,” Beer said in a video about the superfood. “We care about a host of particular compounds that it has and we also care about the way it’s farmed.”Polyphenols and flavonoid levels are lower in plants that have been treated with agricultural chemicals than in those that have had to “make their own way in a hostile world,” he said.
Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Cornbread
(Reprinted with permission from Big Bold Health.)- 1 1/3 cups almond milk or buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (if using almond milk)
- 1 cup cornmeal, medium grind
- 1 cup Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Super Nutrition Flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar—use more for a sweeter flavor
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (scant) sea salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- If using almond milk, combine it with the lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes to allow it to curdle a bit (this mimics buttermilk and improves leavening). This step isn’t necessary if you are using buttermilk.
- Combine the milk with the cornmeal in a medium bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with your favorite oil (coconut oil, avocado, etc.) and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the Himalayan Tartary buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to the milk/cornmeal mixture. Stir in the eggs and coconut oil and mix well.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool slightly before serving.