Plant Name:  Buckwheat, California

Botanical Name:  Eriogonum fasciculatum

Native Name:  Hulaqal

Height/Physical Description:  Forms a clump 1-3 feet in height and 4 feet wide.  White flower clusters in late Spring then turning to a copper color.  The leaves are dark green.

Use:  Food and medicine. Edible flower and seeds.  Leaves and flowers were used for medicine. The leaves were used make a tea to relieve headaches and stomach discomfort.  Flowers also used for medicine.

Harvesting:  Young flower shoots harvested February to May.  Seeds were gathered from June until July.

Preparation:  The leaves were used to make a tea to relieve headaches and stomach discomfort.  The white flowers were steeped in water to make an eye wash or a drink that “cleaned out” the intestines.  The seeds gathered in June and July were eaten.