Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat—
an herbalist’s perspective on this truly super food, and how to use the HTB supplements from Big Bold Health

I grew up in a very health-aware family (thanks Mom!) and Dr. Jeffrey Bland was a household name—then and to this day. I took supplements from his companies and drank his meal and detox powders in college (phew).

Now, as an Herbalist, Holistic Health Practitioner and multi-business owner in the wellness industry I use Dr. Bland designed products both personally and professionally.

And so, unsurprisingly, I leapt at the opportunity to try some of the first releases from his new venture, Big Bold Health. Not only because I knew they’d be another brilliant combination of food-medicine and nutritional science, but a very special plant was at the heart of the formulations: Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat.

Native to Asia, this variety of buckwheat grows in high-stress conditions, which (as is often the case with plants and herbs) causes it to be exceptionally high in beneficial, protective compounds. The benefit of those defense mechanisms is both for the plant, and for us. More on that in a minute.

Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat (HTB) is technically a fruit seed, not a grain, which I like. (Nothing against grains really, the Western world just tends to overeat them in poor, processed and improperly prepared forms.) HTB is high in flavonoids, which is just one of the many, many elements that make plants beneficial. It’s also high in zinc, resistant starch (aka prebiotic fiber!), magnesium (great, since most of us are deficient in that one) and more.

Most impressively of all, HTB is high in rutin, a compound that supports healthy immunity, metabolism and overall health. Not only is HTB high in rutin, it contains fifty times more rutin than common buckwheat. And, Big Bold Health’s HTB specifically has four hundred times more rutin than common buckwheat. Feel free to read those last two lines again.

So, clearly, this is a superfood. As an herbalist, I appreciate whole-plant, full-spectrum medicine especially—there’s a synergy in plants that we simply don’t find in man-made products. When the two combine, like in the case of what Big Bold Health has done, it’s powerful.

The point of all this excellence? Immune rejuvenation. That is: Supporting a healthy, balanced immune system that’s regenerating well. I asked a lot of questions to understand the “rejuvenation” point and it makes sense to me to compare to what our brain does when we sleep (clean-up, repair, consolidation, prepare for the day ahead) and what our body does on a cellular level between meals, or especially when we’re fasting (cellular cleanup). The HTB line supports this process, which also means it’s not “boosting” or over-stimulating an immune system, which I appreciate because so many of my clients & community are dealing with auto-immune conditions (or are headed in that direction) already.

Below are the ways I’ve most loved using these products in the last couple of months. Hoping you find a favorite and that it serves you well! Feel free to use code “Rachelle15” for 15% off any BBH products.

Shake Mix: Delicious, vanilla-y powder that dissolves instantly in water, smoothies, or other recipes. Since it’s a complete nutritional product (so easy!), I love it in some oat milk as an afternoon snack—and I’m intrigued by Dr. Bland’s approach of using it with coffee for a sort of vanilla latte …

Capsules: Fortified, concentrated HTB (plus 2-HOBA—additional immune rejuvenation) that’s as simple as taking a supplement. I bring this one to Supernatural Cafe (perfect for travel or on-the-go) and take it midday with the rest of my supplement stack. During the higher-alert COVID times, I was doubling my dose (four capsules per day).
HTB Flour: Pure, simple, powerful—this is the HTB flour straight from the plant. Remember those rutin numbers? The level of rutin in the flour actually increases even more when it’s cooked. Which is why I made these breakfast cookies, and recommend that you do too.

Superfoody Super-Flour Buckwheat Breakfast Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
3⁄4 cup almond butter (or a combination of nut butter and coconut oil)
3 flax eggs (optional: another 1 TBSP ground flaxseed)
1 1⁄2 cups of HTB Super Nutrition Flour
- (code “Rachelle15” or 15% off any BBH products)
1 teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder
4 tbsp brown sugar (for neutral muffin-sweet cookies; if you like sweeter, increase to 5 - 6 TBSP)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Grated ginger or orange peel
Pinch of salt
1/2 C golden berries (option to substitute raisins, goji berries, dried cherries, or your favorite dried fruit)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or nuts of choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make flax eggs: Combine 1 TBSP ground flax to 3 TBSP water and let sit for 5 minutes
Mix all ingredients completely
Spoon cookie-sized bits onto a baking sheet and bake for ~12 min @ 350

And if you like research, here’s some on the effects of toasting this buckwheat.

Shop Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat from Big Bold Health

(code “Rachelle20” for 20% off any BBH products)