Is buckwheat toxic?

[luna99]

I bought some buckwheat to make a pizza crust with and was super excited about it then I saw this on wikipedia:

Buckwheat greens are toxic when raw, particularly if juiced or eaten in large quantities by fair skinned individuals. The chemical component fagopyrum is known to cause severe photosensitivity and other dermatological complaints.[11]


here's the page I found it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_food

so does that mean if I sprout buckwheat and eat it, it's toxic? I can't imagine it would be and alissa (and others) would be promoting it in their recipes. :confused:

[Solace]

I read that page, it was confusing, from what i know those pages are writen by different people who choose to fill them in. If your recipe calls for it I wouldn't worry, no I have never heard that before.:)

[Veganforlife]

Key words: LARGE QUANTITIES.
I believe anything could be toxic eaten in LARGE QUANTITIES.
Yes, Wikipedia is written by normal everyday folks. So, no need to worry...

[Rawkinlocs]

I think I remember reading something about this once before and it was the "GREENS", not the tails. So, if you sprout only to a tail, no worries...but it was more of a concern (juiced or eaten in large quantities, as it was pointed out) if sprouted until the green leaves began to show and Alissa's recipes are always about simply sprouting just until you see the tail.

[portiz]

Key words: LARGE QUANTITIES.
I believe anything could be toxic eaten in LARGE QUANTITIES.
Yes, Wikipedia is written by normal everyday folks. So, no need to worry...

Yes...water's very toxic in large quantities...
:confused:
:D

[Veganforlife]

Yes, that's true about water, but if you are eating enough fruits/veggies/green smoothies, you don't NEED to drink large quantities of water.

[Crisyn]

I have heard that buckwheat is a fairly common allergen, but never that it is toxic!
Here is a good info page....
http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/buckwht.html

[GreenPrince]

I think I remember reading something about this once before and it was the "GREENS", not the tails. So, if you sprout only to a tail, no worries...but it was more of a concern (juiced or eaten in large quantities, as it was pointed out) if sprouted until the green leaves began to show and Alissa's recipes are always about simply sprouting just until you see the tail.

Rawkinlocs,
Around 1980 there were some warning about the phototoxic effect (for the eyes) of buckwheat. The idea was to rinse away the pink water from the soaking.


I love buckwheat. I sprout and eat it often. Soak for 20 minutes, then sprout for 1-1,5 days. No problem.:)

The problem is the greens, sometimes used for juicing or smoothies. Here is a good description of the symptoms:
http://www.gillesarbour.com/buckwheatArticle.php (http://www.gillesarbour.com/buckwheatArticle.php)

[blaqberry]

hmm...I've come across that info too.

I just soak, rinse rinse rinse, and then use...seems okay.

:confused:

[kaybee]

yep, i just came across that wikipedia site this morning, wondered about that and some of the other info on there too thats not quite explained well enough. it would be great if a long-time or more-knowledgeable raw-fooder than myself could go through the entry for raw foods on the wikipedia website more carefully and email wikipedia with suggestions for changes, as there are a few things on there that the information was a little bit sketchy, that did not help or truly represent raw foods... alot of people use that site for getting information and i believe there is a place that you can request editing and changes and stuff to entries and they will evaluate it. would be great if someone had the time to do this.

kb

[Rawkinlocs]

Thanks for sharing the info, GreenPrince.

Here is a bit more clarification: Again, we are talking in this article about the GREENS, not the buckwheat itself or the sprouted tails.

Here is a photo of the greens from this site: http://www.omorganics.org/page.php?pageid=157&contentid=151#micro

http://eatlivingfood.com/images/buckwheat_greens.jpg

But if you go to websites such as sproutpeople.com, they advocate growing and using buckwheat greens. But as stated in the link that GreenPrince provided, it was the actual greens that were grown FROM the sprouts that caused photosensitivity (or hypersensitivity to sunlight) in fair-skinned people. I've heard/read people say that MANY plant-based things are toxic, though, from sprouts, period to carrot tops to garlic and onions to... yet, each of those things people still consume with no problems. So... **shrugs**

So, please rest assured that consuming the buckwheat groats, soaked and sprouted, you are fine!

[RowanC]

I really do find that my $3 jeweler's loupe (or a magnifying glass) comes in every handy when sprouting grains. This way, I can use them as soon as they sprout the little white bud, usually MUCH sooner than if you want to see it with the naked eye. It keeps the grains from becoming bitter with chlorophyll.

You can surely find them online or on ebay cheap.