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Common Name: Bread Wheat

General Information

Triticum aestivum is an annual plant that can grow up to 1.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Of uncertain origin, perhaps the Middle East or Armenia.

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny position in a rich well-drained soil.
Wheat is widely cultivated in most parts of the world, but less so in Asia, for its edible seed[]. There are many named varieties[]. This is a hexaploid species.
Grows well with maize and with camomile in small quantities[]. Dislikes dogwood, cherry, tulips, pine and poppies[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. The seed can be cooked as a whole grain but it is more usually ground into a powder and used as a flour for making bread, fermented foods, pasta, cakes, biscuits etc[, , , , ]. High in gluten, it is the most common flour used for making bread. The seed can also be sprouted and then added to salads or juiced to make a healthy drink[]. A nutritional analysis is available[].

Medicinal

The young stems are used in the treatment of biliousness and intoxication[]. The ash is used to remove skin blemishes[].
The fruit is antipyretic and sedative[].
The light grain is antihydrotic[]. It is used in the treatment of night sweats and spontaneous sweating[]. The seed is said to contain sex hormones and has been used in China to promote female fertility[].
The seed sprouts are antibilious, antivinous and constructive[]. They are used in the treatment of malaise, sore throat, thirst, abdominal coldness and spasmic pain, constipation and cough[].
The plant has anticancer properties[].

Other Uses

The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[, , , ].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[]. The stems are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in lye or soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper[].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days[].