Due
to the growing popularity of sprouts in general, and a
widespread ignorance as to the toxic dangers posed by
buckwheat greens specifically, many people are today
suffering unnecessarily.
The
basic problem with buckwheat greens is that they contain
fagopyrin, a naturally occurring substance in the buckwheat
plant. When ingested in sufficient quantity, fagopyrin is
known to cause the skin of animals and people to become
phototoxic, which is to say hypersensitive to sunlight.
This condition, specifically known as fagopyrism, occurs
when the ingested fagopyrin accumulates under the skin and
is subsequently activated by sunlight, resulting in a toxic
reaction within the skin. Typically, exposed areas of skin
turn pink or red within minutes, and a strong burning
sensation accompanies the reaction. Within a few hours the
exposed areas usually appear to return to normal, however
continue to remain ultra-sensitive to cold water, hot water
and to friction. This sensitivity can last for days.
Read
the whole article online
Are Buckwheat Greens Toxic?
by
Gilles Arbour
Or download it here as a PDF
file
A
few selected comments about the article:
From
Brian Clement - Director of the Hippocrates Institute in
Florida
“After
Gilles Arbour revealed to us a body of research on
buckwheat greens Hippocrates expanded the research and
determined that the effect of buckwheat that may cause or
has caused concern to numbers of people outweighs the
benefits that buckwheat can give you. So Hippocrates has
now decided that buckwheat greens are not going to be part
of our program. They will be replaced by peagreens and
fenugreek greens.”
Brian Clement,
Director
http://www.hippocratesinst.org
From
Jim Mumm, Mumm’s sprouting seeds Ltd.
"Gilles
Arbour has discovered and thoroughly documented a
previously unconsidered problem with consumption of very
large quantities of buckwheat sprouts or shoots. Until we
have more information, Mumm's Sprouting Seeds is
recommending only moderate consumption of buckwheat sprouts
and greens, as part of a mixed diet."
Jim Mumm, Mumm's
Sprouting Seeds Ltd.
http://www.sprouting.com
From
Steve Meyerowitz, the "Sproutman”
Thank
you for sending me your work on buckwheat sprouts. I very
much appreciate the quality of your research on the
fagopyrin content of buckwheat green juice and its
toxicity. You did a superb job both in content and in
style. (Have you ever considered being a journalist!) Your
good work will serve to help others.
I consider myself lucky because I was never partial to
drinking buckwheat green juice. Nor have I ever promoted it
in my books. Now, I am glad I didn't. True, my sprout
customers grow buckwheat for salads, but unfortunately, it
is one of the hardest sprouts to grow, and because of that
only the most devoted bother with it. It is one of the most
beautiful of all the sprouts we have and its delicate
succulent, flavor is most enticing. Nevertheless, I will
spread a word of caution to all my readers and customers
about buckwheat consumption, and I will clearly warn them
against buckwheat juicing and blending.
Thank you again for all your good work.
Steve Meyerowitz,
"Sproutman"
http://www.Sproutman.com
From
Colette, Ph. D Psychology
I
have suffered from many of these symptoms myself from
drinking the buckwheat greens juice as part of my daily
juice mix. My hands were hurting a lot when in contact with
cold water. The sun felt very strong and burning. The pain
was excessive whenever I hit my hands on something. It did
not feel right but I had no idea what was causing it. I
almost gave up on my new living food diet which otherwise
was helping me out with several of my health issues.
Fortunately all these problems quicky disappeared when I
stopped adding buckwheat in my juice.
I appreciated reading the article. It is very instructive
and well documented. Gilles personal comments are
interesting because he has been there too. The article is
timely in the context of the search for natural solutions
to difficult health problems. It could help many other
people that are eating a more natural diet. I would like to
see a summary of the article in printed health magazines as
well.
Naturopathic doctors and medical doctors should be aware of
this problem. Especially those who are the caretakers of
people eating natural food diets and particularly for those
who have adopted living foods or raw foods as the center of
their diet. Reading the article also made me realize that
we have to be careful when transitioning to a new way of
eating. I will be more cautious in the future.
From Frank Pridham - Colon Therapist
Many thanks for your article, and most of all for your
persistance in researching it. We are all learning, and
will continue to be the wiser for people like yourself, who
persist in finding the answers to the problem, and then are
willing to share their experience and findings, with the
rest of us so freely. Many thanks. We will certainly
caution our clients in this regard, and limit the
consumption of buckwheat greens in juice form. I thank you
again, take care, and keep in touch,
Well
Done!
Frank Pridham
http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Ldetoxification.htm