Q. Buckwheat pillows, what are they?
A. In simple terms, a buckwheat pillow is a pillow that is filled with buckwheat hulls, rather than feathers, down, vinyl foam, or fiber.
Q. What are buckwheat hulls?
A. They are the hard protective covering of the buckwheat fruit or berry. Buckwheat is thought of, and used, as a grain, but it really is a fruit, and surprisingly, is most closely related to the rhubarb plant. The fruits are loften dried and ground into flour, from which we make buckwheat pancakes. Sometimes the fruits are toasted and made into something called "kasha". This can be cooked as a cereal, or in soups and stews.
The hulls, or husks, are then triple vacuumed to remove any trace of flour or other debris, and then rolled flat in preparation for being used as buckwheat pillow filling. Hulls that do not undergo the vacuuming and rolling processes may also be used as garden mulch among other uses.
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Q. Are buckwheat pillows a new creation?
A. The earliest evidence of buckwheat pillow use has been found in ancient Egypt. Traders with Egypt from the Orient then introduced them to Japan and other eastern cultures where they have been popular for 2 - 3 thousand years. Highly decorated versions of them were even used as currency from time to time in that area. About 30 years or so ago they were introduced into Canada, and more recently they have started to become popular in the US.
Q. Why should anyone want to sleep on a buckwheat pillow rather than a conventional pillow?
A. That question has many answers because they have so many advantages in so many different areas. I'll break the answer down into segments dealing with the different advantages inherent in the characteristics of buckwheat hulls as compared to the foam or feather fillings used in conventional pillows.
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COMFORT is, I believe, by far the most compelling reason for people to choose to sleep on buckwheat pillows rather than conventional pillows. All conventional pillow fillings compress. That means that they strive to regain their original loft or shape as your head settles into the pillow.
At some point the compression reaches equilibrium, or else simply bottoms out. In either case, the lowest area of your head in the pillow is the point of maximum compression. After a period of time this point of compression will become uncomfortable to the degree that you will change your position.
This cycle will repeat itself throughout the night. You may or may not reach a conscious level during these position changes, but it does contribute to a deterioration in the comfort and quality of your sleep.
On the other hand, buckwheat hulls do not compress. They have a quality I call malleability. They have the characteristic of sliding over and around each other, but with a catch, literally. You see, they have minute ridges on them, which cause them to cling to each other. But just enough to produce this malleability factor which gives them such a huge advantage, comfort wise, over any other pillow filling that has ever been devised. This is how they can assume the exact shape of your head and neck instead of compressing under them like conventional pillows do.
This action provides the perfectly equal support to the cervical curve of your head and neck, instead of the compression at the lowest points, as do conventional pillow fillings. In addition, this malleability allows the hulls to reposition when you do change position, resulting in continued even support without compression pressure. And believe it or not, but this malleability actually improves with use as these little ridges get slightly polished.
VENTILATION of air between hulls in the buckwheat pillows provides relief from the back of your head becoming over heated and perspiring. Conventional pillows, especially the foam filled ones, insulate the natural heat of your head preventing it from dissipating away from you.
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COOLING of your head provided by the natural ventilation of air between the hulls,.as noted above, can be greatly supplemented by placing the pillows in a refrigerator or freezer for an hour or so before use. This is an effective way to cool your head for some period of time. Some people also advocate heating them to warm the head, but I do not recommend this practice, as it tends to dissipate the natural oils of the buckwheat hulls, and may reduce the length of their useful life. There is also the question of safety.
ADJUSTABLITY of the volume of hulls in the buckwheat pillow is an important advantage of buckwheat pillows over conventional pillows. Each person has their own optimum level of buckwheat hull volume that provides them with just the perfect level of sleeping comfort.
The concealed nylon zipper provided in my pillows provide this important adjustability factor. This feature makes my pillows the perfect companions to the popular "dial your sleep number" adjustable mattress, where you dial in the degree of firmness you find most comfortable.
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ECONOMY has to be an important factor in todays considerations. A quality buckwheat pillow costs about the same as a comparable quality conventional pillow. A quality buckwheat pillow lasts about 10 to 15 years. This is especially important in light of the fact that many experts recommend disposing of conventional pillows after only 6 months use, due to the dust mite infestation factor. Buckwheat pillows are immune to dust mite infestation as buckwheat hulls do not support dust mite infestation. You need a calculator to compute the amount of savings this would entail.
HYPOALLERGENIC properties of buckwheat pillows are another important consideration. A very small percentage of people (about 3%) are allergic to buckwheat flour, but not the hulls. The buckwheat hulls used in my buckwheat pillows undergo a triple vacuuming process to eliminate any trace of buckwheat flour or other impurities that could contain allergens.
ORGANIC cotton material and organic N American grown buckwheat hulls are used exclusively in all my pillows. My pillows are all hand crafted here in the USA.
Q. Do your buckwheat pillows have any specific characteristics or qualities that make your pillows a better product?
A. Features of my buckwheat pillows that demonstrate their superior quality would be:
100% organic buckwheat hulls and cotton components, triple vacuumed to remove all traces of buckwheat flour and foreign materials, concealed soft nylon zipper to allow easy adjustment of volume of buckwheat hulls, handmade in USA from 100% N American grown cotton and hulls
Q. Are there any features to be wary of when shopping for buckwheat pillows?
A. Roasted buckwheat hulls are used in cheap foreign buckwheat pillows, or pillows made with foreign buckwheat hulls. The only reason the hulls are roasted is to comply with government regulations requiring that foreign buckwheat hulls be roasted to eliminate any contamination by microbes, allergens, etc. Roasting of buckwheat hulls provide no other advantage, and actually dry out some of the hull's natural oils, and thereby shorten their useful life.
Many inexpensive department store and imported buckwheat pillows also use cheap mulch grade hulls. Watch out for buckwheat pillows made without the concealed nylon zipper, as the adjustibility of the volume of the buckwheat hull filling is one of the very important features to provide the ultimate personal comfort level which is not possible with conventional pillows and is a must have feature.
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