This has been mentioned in the sprouting forum but not here. Here's a good article:

[www.gillesarbour.com]

Are Buckwheat sprouts toxic too? what about sunflower greens are they ok?

in large amounts, I onceate 1 lb in a sitting, my eyes swelled up and were so itchy..

but they are so good I know

<<The basic problem with buckwheat greens is that they contain fagopyrin, a naturally occurring substance in the buckwheat plant. When ingested in sufficient quantity, fagopyrin is known to cause the skin of animals and people to become phototoxic, which is to say hypersensitive to sunlight.>>

so how much? i'm still going to eat them myself. lots of plants aren't great for you if eaten in excess, just don't eat them in excess!

to answer your question ariel <<Unlike the shoots of the buckwheat plant, buckwheat groats, or seeds, are not generally problematic because they contain only trace quantities of fagopyrin.>>

see here he says not to stop eating it altogether but makes no mention of how much is ok. he only says that daily green drinks of it are not advisable but that eating it is not the same as the damaging compound can't be chewed out in sufficient quantity to cause harm.
<<I would like to make the disclaimer that I am not advising people to stop eating buckwheat. The Latin expression dosis sola facet venenum (the dose makes the poison) attributed to the ancient Romans could be applied here. A small quantity of buckwheat greens (or buckwheat lettuce as it is often called) in an individual diet could allow for healthy nutritional benefits without the negative effects of large amounts. Buckwheat does contain a large quantity of rutin>>

buckwheat is still on my list!

Thanks for great info..