Wheat is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history, behind only
corn for widespread cultivation. Getreide, the German word for cereal, was
written as gitregidi in Old High German, meaning ‘possession’, ‘yield’ or ‘that
which is carried’. The yield is most strongly epitomised in wheat, not only
internally – in nutritional quality – but also with externally demonstrated
quantity. The stalk can carry several times its own weight in ears without
leaning away from the centre.
In the wheat plant it seems that all the powers that could have contributed
towards excess, growth habit and form have been suppressed and redirected into
balanced mediating functions. The self-restraint of wheat, in favour of a
balanced interaction of all elementary forces, facilitates great richness in the
ripe grain. It’s particularly rich in wheatgerm oil, linoleic and linolenic acid
and vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant.