Available online at www.ijmrhs.com I n t e rn a t i o n a l J o u r n a l of M e d ic a l R e s e arc h & H e a l t h S c i e n c e s • I J M R H S • International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, 2020, 9(7): 39-44 39 ISSN No: 2319-5886 An Overview of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp)-An Underutilized Crop in India-Nutritional Value and Health Benefts Aneesha Nalinkumar and Pratibha Singh Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Haryana, India aneesha0316@gmail.com ABSTRACT Buckwheat is one of the pseudocereals grown annually in hilly regions of India. It belongs to the family Polygonaceae and genus (Fagopyrum spp.) Buckwheat is adaptable to extreme cold temperatures, stress conditions of water, less soil fertility and varying climatic conditions, making it a sustainable crop. A literature search on Buckwheat was done using PubMed and Google search engines and reviewed to prepare an overview of its cultivation, nutritional and health value. In India, twenty species of Buckwheat are cultivated across various hilly regions. Out of these only nine species have desirable nutritional value and two are commonly grown. They are Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (Common buckwheat) and Fagopyrum tataricum (Tartary buckwheat). However, the cultivation of Buckwheat has declined in the 20 th century making it an underutilized crop. Buckwheat has good amount of nutrients and many health benefts. There is a need to research about this under-utilized crop and create awareness as this crop has many nutritional and health benefts. Keywords: Gluten, Pseudocereals, Flavonoids, Rutin, Diabetes, Hypertension, Anti-carcinogenice Key Messages: Buckwheat is a pseudocereal grown annually in hilly regions of India. Its cultivation has declined in the 20 th century making it an underutilized crop. Hence there is a need to research about this crop and create awareness to increase utilization INTRODUCTION Buckwheat is one of the pseudocereals and minor cereals grown annually in hilly regions of India. Pseudocereals are not true cereals. Botanically cereals are monocotyledonous plants, whereas pseudocereals are dicotyledonous. Pseudocereals belong to the category of plants that produce both edible fruit and seed. Pseudocereals do not belong to grass family of plants, but they are considered under cereals due to their similar chemical composition. The other pseudocereals are Amaranth and Quinoa. Buckwheat belongs to the family Polygonaceae and genus (Fagopyrum spp.) [1]. In the present scenario of climate change and ever expanding population in the hilly areas, Buckwheat has the capacity to meet the increasing food demands in these regions. It grows in higher altitudes for a short duration of growth pattern within 3-4 months and thus it is the best growing crop in such areas [2]. Buckwheat is adaptable to extreme cold, lack of water, less soil fertility and varying climatic conditions [3,4]. Due to its adaptability to marginal as well as infertile lands of the hilly areas, it is considered as a sustainable pseudocereal, as it supports the livelihood of millions of people residing in hill regions by increased production due to improved yield in short period [2,5]. METHODS Search Methods A literature search on Buckwheat was done using PubMed and Google search engines and reviewed to prepare an overview of its cultivation, nutritional and health value. Search terms “Buckwheat” in combination with “cultivation”, “Nutritional value” and “Health Benefts” were used. Relevant cross references for previous studies about nutritional value of other cereals was also reviewed. *Corresponding e-mail: *