Historical records: The ancient medical book "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: Tartary buckwheat is bitter in taste and mild-cold in nature. It can "strengthen the stomach and intestines, boost energy, refresh the spirit, benefit the ears and eyes, and cleanse the five viscera of waste," as well as "lower qi and widen the intestines, remove accumulations and stagnation, and reduce heat swelling and wind pain." Modern clinical observations show that Tartary buckwheat noodles can lower blood sugar and lipids, enhance human immunity, treat stomach ailments, remove dampness and toxins, treat nephritis, and erode malignant flesh within the body. They have auxiliary therapeutic effects on diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, and stomach diseases. These effects are all related to the nutritional components contained in Tartary buckwheat.
Main Nutritional Value:
Tartary buckwheat is the only grain crop that combines seven major nutrients in one. Its eight major nutrients include:
1. Bioflavonoids: The main component is rutin, also known as Vitamin P. Its main effects are: softening blood vessels, improving microcirculation, clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, drawing out toxins and promoting tissue regeneration, lowering blood sugar, urine sugar, and blood lipids, boosting energy and refreshing the spirit, and enhancing the peripheral action of insulin. Rutin is almost absent in other grains!
2. Trace elements and minerals: Tartary buckwheat contains various inorganic elements beneficial to human health, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, and the trace element selenium. The magnesium content is more than 11 times that of wheat flour, iron is 2-5 times that of other staple foods, zinc is more than 1.5 times, manganese is more than 1.4 times, potassium is twice that of wheat, 2.3 times that of rice, and 1.5 times that of yellow cornmeal. The high content of magnesium and potassium greatly enhances the nutritional and healthcare functions of Tartary buckwheat flour.
3. Starch: Tartary buckwheat starch is amylopectin, containing a large amount of gel mucus. When heated, it becomes weakly alkaline and inhibits excessive stomach acid. It can alleviate and protect lesions.
4. Vitamins: Tartary buckwheat is rich in vitamins. The content of Vitamin B2 is 2-10 times that of cornmeal and rice. Vitamin PP has the effect of lowering blood lipids and cholesterol in the human body and is an important auxiliary drug for treating hypertension and cardiovascular diseases; it is particularly effective for elderly patients, can reduce microvascular fragility and permeability, and restore their elasticity. It is effective in preventing cerebral hemorrhage, maintaining eye circulation, and protecting and improving eyesight. The content of γ-tocopherol in Vitamin E is relatively high, which is effective in preventing oxidation and treating infertility, and also promotes cell regeneration and prevents aging.
5. Cellulose: Also known as dietary fiber. The content reaches 1.6%, which is eight times more than ordinary rice and flour. It has the good effect of regulating the intestines and relieving constipation, clearing toxins from the body, and is the scavenger of the human digestive system.
6. Fat: Tartary buckwheat contains extremely high levels of oleic acid and linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is the most important fatty acid for the human body and cannot be synthesized in the body! It promotes growth and development in young children. For adults, it can prevent coronary heart disease. At the same time, because it contains substances that inhibit the production of melanin in the skin (2,4-dihydroxy cis-cinnamic acid), it has the effect of preventing freckles and age spots and is an excellent product for beauty and skin care. The Yi women living in high mountains have red lips, white teeth, and delicate skin.
7. Protein: It contains 19 natural amino acids, with a total content as high as 11.82%. It particularly contains lysine, which is lacking in general plants like wheat and rice, and is rich in arginine and histidine. Moreover, nearly one-third of Tartary buckwheat protein is cleansing protein, which can remove toxins and foreign substances from the body. Furthermore, because Tartary buckwheat protein is rich in arginine, it can prevent an increase in body fat.
8. Tartary buckwheat also contains chlorophyll, which other grain crops do not possess.
Efficacy and Effects of Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea:
A. Effects on the Endocrine System
1. Hypoglycemic effect: Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids can promote the recovery of pancreatic β-cells, lower blood sugar and serum cholesterol, improve glucose tolerance, and counteract the blood sugar-raising effect of adrenaline. At the same time, it can also inhibit aldose reductase, therefore it can treat diabetes and its complications.
2. Lipid-lowering effect: Quercetin and others rich in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids can lower triglycerides, total cholesterol, and reduce the atherosclerosis index.
B. Effects on the Cardiovascular System
1. Effects on the myocardium: Can be used to treat arrhythmia, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, etc.
2. Effects on blood vessels: Rutin and others rich in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids have vasodilating effects. Quercetin, morin, etc. can improve the contraction and relaxation function of vascular smooth muscle.
C. Antibacterial and Antiviral Effects
Studies have confirmed that quercetin, morin, and kaempferol rich in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids have antibacterial and antiviral effects. Clinical application of this flavonoid has shown miraculous efficacy in removing decay and promoting tissue regeneration, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain for ulcers caused by various reasons.
D. Antioxidant Effect
Inhibits the automatic oxidation of oils, where 3-OH, 5-OH, the 4- group, and the double bond at the 2,3 position play a leading role. The ability to inhibit oil oxidation is quercetin > morin > rutin.
E. Anti-cancer and Cancer-preventing Effects
Quercetin and other flavonoid compounds rich in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids mainly achieve anti-cancer and cancer-preventing effects through three pathways: anti-free radical effects, direct inhibition of cancer cell growth, and anti-carcinogenic factors. The pentahydroxyflavone contained in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids is a preferred drug for preventing, treating, and fighting cancer.
F. Free Radical Scavenging Effect
Free radicals are the source of evil causing cancer, aging, and degenerative diseases of the heart, brain, and blood vessels. Because Tartary buckwheat flavonoids are easily oxidized, they have scavenging ability. They have five hydroxyl groups and can sufficiently act as hydrogen donors to reduce free radicals, thereby achieving the purpose of scavenging free radicals and achieving anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
G. Effects on Bone Tissue
Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids can be used to treat bone diseases and osteoporosis. The mechanism of action is as follows: First, it can inhibit both the increase in collagen synthesis caused by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and the decrease in collagen synthesis caused by PGE2; that is, it inhibits the entry of {BH}-proline into digestible collagen and non-collagen protein, and mainly acts on non-collagen protein synthesis at low PGE2 concentrations, and on collagen protein synthesis at high PGE2 concentrations. Therefore, it can be used to treat bone diseases; secondly, it can increase the sensitivity of the thyroid gland to estrogen, strengthen the effect of thyroid C cells secreting calcitonin, and ultimately inhibit bone resorption to treat osteoporosis; thirdly, it can inhibit the decrease in bone density and bone calcium content caused by dietary calcium and vitamin D deficiency.
H. Effects on the Immune System
Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids can significantly and effectively increase the body's non-specific immune functions and humoral immune functions.
I. Liver-protecting Effect
Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids have certain curative effects on acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty liver, and toxic liver damage caused by galactosamine and CCl4, etc. Studies show that Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids can significantly inhibit the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA, a product of liver lipid peroxidation) content in the liver caused by CCl4. It can reduce the activity increase of soluble enzymes like transaminases in liver cells due to leakage from cells; the liver protection mechanism of Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids ultimately lies in its antioxidant and anti-free radical effects.
J. Anti-ultraviolet Effect
Quercetin and other flavonoid compounds rich in Tartary buckwheat bioflavonoids are a kind of light shielding substance with the function of absorbing ultraviolet rays. They can protect biologically active substances like ascorbic acid from oxidation, maintain their activity, and are an excellent antioxidant. Their chelating effect and gene expression function of reducing fat oxidative deterioration are obvious. Especially, the effect of this flavonoid on skin care, rejuvenation, vascular health, and anti-inflammatory effects is particularly significant, so some people call it "skin nutrition". In recent years, Tartary buckwheat protein complex (TBPC) has been prepared from Tartary buckwheat, and its nutritional components and anti-aging effects have been studied. The results are as follows: In the Tartary buckwheat protein complex, the protein content is 63.4, fat 12.7, carbohydrates 10.2, ash 3.5, crude fiber 0.4, moisture 9.8. It also contains various amino acids, with essential and non-essential amino acids for humans accounting for about 45.8% of the total amino acids, and contains certain fatty acids, trace elements, and other substances.
