What does a buckwheat plant look like? Buckwheat flowers, useful properties and contraindications

Buckwheat blossom

From one hectare of sown buckwheat, bees collect up to 100 kilograms of honey per season. Honey collected from buckwheat is considered very valuable and healing. It has a brown hue, has a sharp taste and strong aroma.

Buckwheat as a honey plant

When mineral fertilizers are applied, nectar with buckwheat flowers is released much more. And buckwheat seeds are tied more actively if the bees visit each flower many times. Therefore, buckwheat is sown in wide rows, and its predecessors are usually legumes or winter crops.

In order to prolong the flowering of buckwheat and the time of honey collection, it is sown twice or thrice per season, with an interval of 10-15 days. Buckwheat seeds can be sown quite early, as soon as the soil warms up to +12°C. And buckwheat blooms all August. At this time, other nectar-bearers are already finishing flowering, so buckwheat flowers are the only source of nectar for hard-working bees.

How does buckwheat grow?

Anyone who has ever seen what buckwheat looks like when it grows will never forget this sight. A juicy green mass swaying under a light summer breeze, covered with a hat of flowers of all shades of pink, resembles a living, breathing creature. Working bees buzz over the fragrant sea, collecting nectar, from which healing buckwheat honey is obtained. Looking from the outside, how buckwheat grows, you will never think that this is a difficult agronomic process. However, growing buckwheat is truly an art.

Whoever saw how buckwheat grows will never forget this picture.

How cultural buckwheat grows

Buckwheat is a capricious plant, but popular with farmers. First of all, because buckwheat is always in high demand in Russia.

Buckwheat is demanding on the temperature and water conditions of cultivation. It is sown in warm soil, at a stable temperature not lower than +8 ° C. At a temperature of +15 ° C, the first shoots appear, from which plants with an erect stem quickly grow, changing color from delicate green to bright red as they mature. The triangular leaves always remain green, which, combined with pink flowers, gives the buckwheat field a very spectacular look.

The air around the flowering field of buckwheat is filled with a sweet aroma.

Flowering begins at a temperature of +25 ° C, 3-4 weeks after germination. Frosts during the entire vegetative period, and especially during flowering, are detrimental to buckwheat. Any sudden change in temperature can lead to crop loss.

Growing buckwheat, as a rule, takes place under the protection of the forest. Trees protect the field from drought and sudden cooling, from drafts that are undesirable for tender plants. If there is a reservoir nearby, buckwheat will grow even better. This crop is responsive to the introduction of potash, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. But buckwheat does not tolerate pesticides, just as it does not tolerate gene experiments on itself. That is why buckwheat can rightfully be considered one of the most environmentally friendly products.

A flowering field of buckwheat is painted in all shades of pink.

Amazing buckwheat flowers. One by one, starting from the bottom, small pink flowers with five petals bloom, forming lush, rich brushes. Each of the 600 or even 2000 flowers in the inflorescence blooms for only a day, and the entire brush blooms continuously for two months. Therefore, buckwheat ripens gradually, from the bottom up. Waiting for the full maturation of the brushes is simply unrealistic, so harvesting begins when the lower, largest and most filled grains are poured and brown. By this time, about 70% of all formed grains reach technical maturity.

The brush gathers from 600 to 2000 small flowers.

During the flowering period, experienced farmers place beehives along the buckwheat field. Pollination by bees increases the yield of buckwheat by 50-60%, which cannot be achieved by any other, even very expensive methods. Healthy and delicious buckwheat honey, famous for its quality, further enhances the attractiveness of such a "cooperation" between farmers and beekeepers.

Bees, pollinating buckwheat, significantly increase its yield.

So that buckwheat does not crumble, mow it early in the morning or late in the evening, when the air humidity is higher. Special combines produce not only the collection, but also the initial processing of buckwheat kernels. However, how buckwheat is obtained is a topic for a separate discussion.

The first to ripen are the lower, most filled grains.

If you do not live where this valuable crop is grown, and have not seen how buckwheat grows, photos of its flowering fields will be of interest to you. Certainly, even the most good shots will give only a small idea of ​​their attractive beauty. Not to convey to them the enchanting aroma that fills the summer air. It is possible to fully feel this only after visiting in reality those places where buckwheat grows.

http://grechkalife.ru

Buckwheat, which is grown in the fields, belongs to the buckwheat family. It includes several varieties of plants. The following varieties grow in Europe: cultivated buckwheat and Tatar buckwheat.

The fields are usually sown with a cultivated type of buckwheat, and the second type is a weed. The Tatar species is a low plant, the bushes are strongly branched, the foliage is wide petiolate. The flowers are greenish with a yellow tint, small, absolutely devoid of aroma.

Origin and botanical description of buckwheat

Buckwheat has been cultivated as a culture several millennia ago in Southwest Asia (in India and Nepal). This cereal “came” to Russia from Greece, which is why it is called “buckwheat”.

That buckwheat, which is sown in industrial quantities and which we are used to seeing on our table, has a straight stem, green in color, with a slightly red tint. In the process of ripening, the color of the stems gradually becomes bright red. The foliage is triangular in shape and green. The foliage is bare, the lower leaves grow on petioles, and the upper ones sit on the stem.

The root system of this cereal is pivotal, the length of the main root can reach 45 - 48 cm. But the mass of buckwheat roots is small and amounts to only 12 - 13% of the total mass of the plant.

The flowers are small, consist of 5 petals, they are painted in different shades of pink. The flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences, each has from 500 to 1800 pieces of male and female flowers. If the weather is favorable, then this cultivated plant blooms for about 45 - 60 days. This annual is remontant, therefore, on one bush of buckwheat, you can find buds, blooming flowers and fruits beginning to ripen. Harvested usually in the last decade of September.

Blooming buckwheat looks extraordinarily beautiful - a field covered with white and pink flowers, over which tireless bees buzz, looks like a large blanket, swaying from the slightest breath of breeze.

This cereal plant is one of the main crops grown by many farms our country. And buckwheat, obtained after processing ripened fruits, is one of the most popular food products.

Where does buckwheat grow in Russia

This cereal culture, although not too capricious, however, certain types soil grows much better. Also, the yield of this crop depends on climatic conditions growing region. Best of all, the yield of this crop is observed in the conditions of the forest-steppe, as well as in Polissya.

The best soils for planting this crop are light, loose, which quickly warm up in the spring under the sun's rays. There should be a sufficient amount of nutrients in the soil, but if it is depleted, then in the fall, before plowing, organic and minerals. The soil should not be strongly acidic, the optimal acidity of the soil is neutral (or slightly alkaline).

Heavy soils in which moisture can stagnate are not suitable for planting buckwheat - on such soils, the crop yield will be too low.

Buckwheat as green manure (video)

This crop is usually planted quite late, so the main task during soil cultivation is to retain moisture. In addition, it is necessary to follow the rules of crop rotation, planting buckwheat after the "correct" crops. The best predecessors of buckwheat are:

• winter crops;
• peas, beans, soybeans;
• tilled.

After grain crops, it is better not to plant this cereal, since the soil is heavily polluted with weeds, which significantly reduces the yield of buckwheat. Also, the yield of this cereal crop will be low if it is planted after a potato sick with a nematode, or after oats.

But buckwheat itself most often displaces weeds from the field, so where it grows, herbicides are not used.

Medicinal properties of buckwheat

In our country, until the middle of the last century, green buckwheat was eaten - its color is explained by the way cereals are processed. And such cereals are much more useful for the human body - it more effectively helps to restore the body after serious illnesses.

This cereal contains a large number of vitamins and microelements, this explains its usefulness as a low-calorie product, indispensable for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in addition:

• improves the functioning of the brain;
• contributes to the improvement of metabolic processes;
• contributes to the formation of "useful" cholesterol in the body;
• helps to "clean" the vessels;
• increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood,
• improves the functioning of the genitourinary system;
• boosts the immune system;
• helps to heal wounds on the skin faster.

What are the benefits of the fruits of the plant

The main value of buckwheat lies in its fruits. It is buckwheat that contains the following beneficial substances:

• trace elements: P, Al, K, B, Sr;
• vitamins: A, E, B;
• folic acid;
• some amino acids;
• fiber.

Porridge from this cereal helps to cleanse the liver of harmful substances and toxins, improves blood circulation and nutrition of the brain, vision, and hearing. It is buckwheat (along with oatmeal) that is included in the diet of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

What are buckwheat flowers and leaves valued for?

Flowers and leaves of buckwheat also have medicinal properties, they widely used in folk medicine different countries with the following diseases:

• bronchitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis and other inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract;
• to relieve pain in sciatica;
• to strengthen blood vessels and their walls.

On the basis of flowers and leaves, decoctions and infusions are made that can be used for internal use, and in the form of lotions and compresses - for external use.

Features of buckwheat (video)

Traditional medicine recipes using buckwheat flowers

From cough, as well as for the treatment of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract, it is worth brewing an infusion of buckwheat flowers. 18 - 20 g of flowers should be poured with 2.5 cups of boiling water and infused for 120 minutes. At the same time, the container with the infusion is closed on top with a plate or lid. An adult should drink this infusion instead of tea several times a day.

The dried aerial parts of this cereal culture (0.5 cups) are brewed with a liter of boiling water, insisted. You should drink a cooled infusion when:

• arthritis (up to a liter of infusion per day);
• neurasthenia;
• low blood pressure and general weakness.

Infusions based on ground parts of buckwheat are used to treat tonsillitis or laryngitis.

Buckwheat sprouts in the diet

It is better to germinate green buckwheat - it is usually included in the menu for dietary nutrition. Sprouted green buckwheat normalizes the metabolism in the body, it has very few calories, so these buckwheat sprouts allow you to fight excess weight.

Buckwheat contraindications

This cereal is very useful for the human body, so many are convinced that there are simply no contraindications against including it in the diet.

However some contraindications for buckwheat still exist:

• this cereal contributes to the active formation of bile;
• gas formation in the intestines;
• increased intestinal peristalsis.

And green buckwheat is often in large quantities should not be eaten by people who have increased blood clotting.

Buckwheat as a honey plant

It is buckwheat honey that is considered one of the best among beekeepers. Buckwheat flowers are excellent honey plants, their flowering time directly depends on weather conditions. In the sunny season, buckwheat inflorescences do not bloom for up to 1.5 months. The aroma of small flowers attracts bees. These flying insects from one hectare of buckwheat collect up to two hundred kilograms of very healthy honey, which has a rather sharp aroma and taste.

The color of fresh buckwheat honey is brown. He long time does not crystallize. BUT People with the following diseases should regularly eat pure buckwheat honey:

• with high blood pressure;
• various diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• improves metabolism in the body;
• increases hemoglobin, contains a large amount of iron, therefore it is recommended for expectant mothers;
• necessary for those who are recovering from surgery or a large loss of blood.

Nutritional value and chemical composition of Greek cereals

Unroasted buckwheat contains:

• 20% protein;
• 4% fat;
• 76% carbohydrates;
• vitamins of groups B, U, P, K;
• a number of natural acids;
• fiber;
• sugar;
• a number of macro- and microminerals.

The proteins that make up buckwheat are easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract of the human body, and carbohydrates, on the contrary, are processed in the digestive tract for a long time, so buckwheat gives a person a feeling of satiety for a long time.

The benefits of this cereal are undeniable, it is not for nothing that doctors usually include cereals based on it in the diet for many diseases in which you need to sit on fairly strict diets.

The benefits of buckwheat honey (video)

Not only cereals, but also buckwheat honey - very useful product, which should be eaten even completely healthy people. And the husk remaining on the buckwheat groats after processing buckwheat is used for stuffing orthopedic pillows and mattresses.

In order not to lose the material, be sure to save it to your social network Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook by simply clicking on the button below:

Attention, only TODAY!

Are India and Nepal. In these countries, the culture has been cultivated for thousands of years in conditions of excess heat, moisture and sunlight. From there, she began her march, first to China, and then to Korea, Japan and the Far East of Russia. In scientific circles, it is believed that for the first time in the European part of Russia, Bashkirs and Chuvashs began to cultivate buckwheat.

Along with this, there is an opinion that the plant came to us from the Mediterranean, and the Greeks brought it, from where the name "buckwheat" came from. See also .

For Russia, buckwheat is a national product grown on our territory for 2 thousand years, and its consumption is the highest in the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that very large areas land areas. Russia not only grows about half of the world's buckwheat crop, but for many years it has not ceased to be the main consumer of this useful crop, as well as an exporter, along with such countries as China, the USA, Tanzania, Poland, etc.

Where is buckwheat grown in Russia

Buckwheat is grown in many regions of Russia. A feature of this culture is different for different varieties growing season lasting two to three months. Varieties with a short growing season are grown in the north of the Non-Chernozem Zone. In the south, the culture gives 2 crops per summer. It is in the south of Russia, in the Cis-Urals and the Volga region, that buckwheat is mainly grown. In Transbaikalia, Southern Siberia and the Far East, buckwheat also grows well in moist and fertile soil.

This plant does not like both frost and heat, which makes it demanding on growing conditions. In addition, buckwheat ranks first among grain crops in terms of dependence on soil moisture. In this regard, the culture is often sown in fields located next to water bodies.

Varieties of cereals

The following varieties of buckwheat are known:

• - unground - groats with a characteristic whole grain;
• - prodel - these are chopped grains;
• - Smolensk groats - groats, which is a crushed core.

Buckwheat is a honey crop

Buckwheat is often used as a honey crop, there are always a lot of bees next to its crops. This is not surprising, since it is the most useful. It is used when cardiovascular diseases, anemia, atherosclerosis. By the way, in France, this crop is grown only for the sake of honey.

Application in medicine

Buckwheat is widely used in medicine as a source of routine. Traditional medicine recommends a decoction of the plant as a remedy for colds, as an expectorant for coughs. Folic acid contained in the plant stimulates blood formation. Diabetics can consume in their diet buckwheat porridge, replacing it with potatoes and bread.

Excursion into history

Interestingly, in the 18th century, the Russian agronomist M. Livanov wrote about the great benefits and benefits of buckwheat crops, comparing it with wheat, and not in favor of the latter.

At the end of the 18th century, the agronomist I. Komov wrote about the wider distribution of buckwheat in Russia compared to Europe. He noticed that it is in Russia that buckwheat is valued for its nutritional value and benefits for humans, while in Europe it is used as feed in animal husbandry. According to the scientist, high yields of buckwheat are not uncommon even on infertile, depleted soil, and bread grown in the fields after buckwheat turns out to be simply excellent, and buckwheat is grown this way.

The famous commander A. Suvorov called buckwheat porridge "heroic food", and the founder of the physiological school I. Pavlov often wrote in his writings about the benefits and values, as well as healing properties this unique product.

You already know where buckwheat is grown in Russia, there are also many crops in Ukraine and Belarus.

Buckwheat is a popular and beloved plant in many countries, which not only feeds a person, but also gives him valuable medicines. It is absolutely unpretentious, feels great in a warm and cool climate, but it came from the southern regions and was brought to us for the first time from Greece. Since this is a real honey plant, during the flowering period it is better not to approach the plant: countless bees gather around it, flying in search of fragrant nectar. These same buckwheat flowers are considered especially useful, beneficial features and contraindications of which have become a topic for discussion among admirers traditional medicine. Let's talk about it on www.site.

What are buckwheat flowers valued for? medicinal properties what do they have?

The inflorescences of the plant have a pale pink or cream color. They bloom in mid-summer, which attract insects. In place of faded buds, triangular-shaped seeds eventually appear, which are ready for harvest by October. Honey, which is obtained from buckwheat, has a reddish or brown tint, incredibly fragrant and healthy.

The flowers of the plant contain a large amount of useful substances. Especially the plant is valued for fagopyrin and rutin, which are indispensable for anemia, vascular fragility, atherosclerosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system. Rutin strengthens capillaries well, reducing their fragility. In addition, it has an excellent anti-inflammatory property and is necessary for the body in infectious diseases. In combination with ascorbic acid, which is also present in flowers, rutin forms a powerful natural antibiotic.

The benefits don't end there. Buckwheat flowers with a high content of rutin and urutin are useful for scarlet fever, typhus, measles, and a number of other diseases that increase the risk of damage to blood vessels. As a prophylactic, young inflorescences can be used for poisoning with radioactive components and substances containing arsenic. It is beneficial for the body to take a drink from them after X-ray exposure.

Infusions prepared from the flowers are very effective for coughs, as they cause an expectorant effect. Therefore, they can be drunk with bronchitis, pneumonia, and other respiratory diseases.

The ripening inflorescences contain many vitamins, in particular P, which are very necessary for normal blood circulation, for strong vessels and veins.

Other diseases and ailments in which the use of flowering parts of buckwheat is useful are:

Glomerulonephritis;

Hemorrhage in the retina;

Septic endocarditis;

Rheumatism;

Hemorrhagic diathesis;

Radiation sickness.

Are buckwheat flowers dangerous, are there contraindications to their use?

Contraindications for the use of these parts of the plant are increased blood clotting and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Despite the fact that buckwheat itself is considered a product that is useful for digestion and dietary, the remaining parts should be used with caution. In addition, the stems should not be used as they contain poisonous and dangerous substances. Fresh leaves may also be unsafe - they must be dried before cooking according to various recipes.

Medicinal recipes from buckwheat flowers

1. To prepare an effective expectorant or drink to strengthen blood vessels, you need to take note of the following recipe. Pour two tablespoons of crushed and dried flowers with 250 milliliters of boiling water. Leave to infuse for one hour, then strain. Drink twice a day for a third of a glass.

2. In sclerosis and during the treatment of leukemia, the following drink is useful. Pour 40 grams of dry raw materials with 1 liter of boiling water. Insist, strain, take 100 ml in the morning and evening.

3. Tea made from the same parts of the plant will help get rid of a cold quickly. We take dry inflorescences and water in a ratio of 1:10. We put on low heat, bring to a boil and quickly remove from heat. Let the tea cool, strain and drink while it is warm several times a day. With caution, give such a drink to children under 10 years old, after consulting with a doctor. For adults, this tea is also useful for regularly rising blood pressure.

4. With leukemia (radiation sickness), you can use the following recipe. One tablespoon of dry raw materials is poured into two glasses of boiled water. Then the container is placed in a water bath for 15-20 minutes, then it needs to cool for 40-45 minutes, then strain. The resulting remedy should be drunk 150 ml before meals at least three times a day.

The fragrant flowering parts can be used in recipes and in combination with other medicinal plants. For example, with atherosclerosis, you can prepare the following collection:

Two tablespoons of fresh blackberry leaves;

3 tablespoons of dandelions without root parts;

a tablespoon of nettle leaves;

Two tablespoons of buckwheat flowers.

It is possible to use such recipes for the described diseases in combination with the main treatment prescribed by the doctor, and taking into account contraindications. They can be an additional therapy that speeds up the healing process. Reception folk remedies tell the doctor.