Golden buckwheat is a traditional medicinal plant used to clear heat and detoxify

Golden buckwheat (Fagopyrum dibotrys, also known as golden buckwheat rhizome) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Fagopyrum of the Polygonaceae family. It is also called wild buckwheat, Tian buckwheat and Kaijinsuo, and is mostly distributed in valley wetlands, forest edges and slopes along the Yangtze River basin and to the south. It is a close relative in the same genus as common buckwheat, but common buckwheat is an annual grain crop, whereas golden buckwheat is valued more for its medicinal use; its wild resources have been included in the national list of key protected wild plants.

In appearance, the golden buckwheat plant can grow to about one meter tall, with erect and much-branched stems and triangular or hastate leaves, producing small, fine white to pale pink flowers in summer and autumn. Its underground rhizome is nodular, with a brown outer skin and a firm texture, and is the main part used in medicine.

In terms of application value, traditional Chinese medicine holds that golden buckwheat is cool in nature and has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, discharging pus and removing blood stasis. It is often used in combinations for sore and swollen throat, lung abscess, cough and asthma, and modern research also pays considerable attention to its flavonoid components. It should be noted that its medicinal use should be carried out under professional guidance, and those with deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach should not use it in large amounts.

When cultivated artificially, golden buckwheat prefers a warm and humid climate and is suitable for plots with deep soil and good drainage; it is mostly propagated by dividing the rhizome or by seed, and its management is relatively extensive. Because wild resources are protected, harvesting and use should rely mainly on artificial cultivation, which can both meet the demand for medicinal use and help the continuation of wild populations.