Barley

Barley

Sweeping fields of long yellow grass may come to mind when thinking of barley, swaying to the faint tunes of Sting’s Fields of Gold.

True enough, barley pleases the eye as it graces landscapes with blankets of golden husks and furrowed grains, but it has long pleased the human body too, providing nourishment and strengthening the constitution.

Barley is a cereal grain and member of the grass family. In botanical circles barley is referred to as Hordeum distichon, and is a relative of the Graminaceae plant family.

The barley plant originated in west Asia and is believed to be of the first grains ever to be cultivated, primarily for food. Today barley flourishes in Britain too, where it is sometimes referred to as Pearl barley or Scotch barley.

Interesting facts

According to historians, barley has been used as a food since Neolithic times and been administered to infants and children through the centuries in the form of porridge or barley water.

It was used to treat inflamed digestive and urinary tracts and preventing the development of curds in the stomach. It is also commonly used to relieve minor infections, diarrhoea and fevers in young people.

Parts used

Barley seeds (grain) are harvested when the plant is mature and used to aid in nutrition and healing, whereas barley grass is especially known for its powerful antioxidant properties due to its rich chlorophyll content.

Barley leaves are also a rich source of vitamins and minerals due to their ability to absorb large quantities of nutrients from the soil.

Just some of these nutrients include calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, folic acid, manganese, beta carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and pantothenic acid.

Constituents

Barley consists of the following:

• 80% starch
• 6% proteins and cellulose

Other compounds:

• Sugars
• Fats
• Vitamin B
• Alkaloids

Medicinal action and uses

In addition to being harvested for the production of malt in the making of beer and other malt liquors, the malt extract is also administered medicinally. This essence is used to maintain a healthy heart through its proven ability to flush out fatty deposits in blocked arteries and valves.

In addition, a green juicy extract is derived from young barley shoots and is believed to act as an effective anti-inflammatory agent while strengthening muscles. According to scientific animal research, the powered juice extract significantly relieves arthritis and gastric ulcers.

Chinese research has shown barley to assist in the treatment of hepatitis by resting the liver and strengthening the body.

Studies in the western world have recommended various preparations of barley grain for regulating blood sugar and preparations of barley bran for lowering cholesterol and preventing bowel cancer.

Barley is also tremendously nutritious as a cooked meal, which is often given to those with stomach and throat ailments. Cooked barley can even be applied directly to the skin to relieve abrasions.

Safety

There is little information regarding the safe consumption of barley and, apart from a word of caution to diabetics, no other known side effects have been reported.

Diabetics:  If you are taking barley and diabetes medication, you should keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels as that combination may cause your blood sugar to drop too low. (Studies have found that barley may decrease blood sugar by decreasing the absorption of sugars from food.)  

(Source: MedlinePlus.gov)

- (Health24, updated by Birgit Ottermann, February 2010)