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Hordeum, Barley

Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491

Della Materia Medicinale, Andrea Valuassori, 1562

Icones Plantarum Medcio-oeconomico, Vietz, 1800

Uses:
1. Clears Damp, Promotes Urine:
-acute burning or urgent urine; acute Urinary Tract Infections
-acute inflammations of the Bladder or Kidney; Cystitis, Nephritis
-acute arthritis and joint inflammation associated with Heat and Damp
-Strangury, Dysuria, Edema, Cystitis, and acute Gonorrhea
-long used in the dietic treatment of Diabetics in Europe, India and the Middle East (roasted barley, barley water or barley gruel)

2. Clears Heat:
-very good to clear Heat; Fever
-Madness, Mania associated with excess Heat
-skin conditions
-Liver heat; Jaundice

3. Clears Heat and Phlegm, Stops Coughs:
-Cough, Bronchitis, Wheezing, difficulty breathing
-convalescence after Lung disease
-in Tibetan Medicine, roasted Barley is used for Lung conditions

4. Promotes Milk (Dioscorides)

5. Kills Worms:
-specifically Ascariasis

6. Externally:
i. Headaches and for ‘Rheums’ in the Eyes. (Water Distilled from Barley in May when it has Dew)
ii. hard swellings (Dioscorides)
iii. ‘poultice of Barley meal and butter is very Anodyne, and eases painful tumors’ (Pechy)
iv. the ancient Egyptians used it externally for burns, heat and inflammations and in a suppository to cool heat of the anus.
v. Ayurveda uses powdered charred Barley as a topical application to wounds and burns (it is charred by pouring boiling Sesame Oil over it).
vi. boiled down with strong vinegar, it is placed on Gouty and Arthritic joints to stop the flow of humors to that part. It is anti-inflammatory and anodyne. A poultice prepared with Barley, Quince and vinegar is applied to Arthritic joints also. (Avicenna)


DOSE:
Barley: 30–100 grams may be decocted to be taken over the day (Barley water)

NOTE:
1. ‘The crude is an enemy to the Stomach, being Windy; but it is corrected by boiling’. Also corrected by browning in a frying pan.
2. ‘Take Barley not husked, if you intend to cleanse and dry: But husk it, if you intend to digest, and quench Thirst. The Women know the way’. (Schroder)

PREPARATIONS:
1. Often Barley is stir-fried until golden brown and aromatic. This makes it less cold, lighter to digest, and more drying. In Tibetan Medicine, roasted Barley is preferred for Lung diseases.
2. Barley is also germinated. See Malted Barley, Mai Ya

Main Combinations:
1. Barley with Cinnamon to cleanse Damp and promote Urine in Cold bodies (Barley Water with Cinnamon)
2. Strangury, Dysuria, Burning Urine:
i. Barley with Chickpea and Marshmallow
ii. Barley with Licorice, Date, Aniseed (as in Decoction Against Strangury and Burning Urine)
iii. Barley with Marshmallow, Licorice, Poppy seed, Purslane, Armenian Earth (as in Powder for Dysuria)
3. Edema, Barley with Celery and Corn Silk
4. Fever:
i. Barley Water for Fever from Heat
ii. Barley Water with Celery and Fennel in Cold Fever (Avicenna)
iii. Phlegmatic Fever, Barley Water, Fig and Honey water.
iii. Barley with Violet and the 4 Cold Seeds
5. To clear Heat and Bile:
i. Barley with Chicory, Cold seeds, Sorrel
ii. Barley with Prune, Tamarind, Raisin, Violet, 4 Cold seeds (as in Decoction to Cool)
6. To cleanse the Blood in Acne, Boils, and Heat-toxin skin conditions, Barley with Chicory, Dandelion, Fumitory, Rhubarb, Licorice
7. As a Cordial (to clear Heart Heat) Barley with Borage, Bugloss, Endive, Chicory, Maidenhair, Licorice, 4 Cold Seeds (as in Cordial Decoction)
8. As a Pectoral, Barley with Jujubes, Raisins, Figs, Hyssop, Maidenhair, Coltsfoot flower, Licorice (as in Pectoral Decoction)
9. Heat-type Cough, Bronchitis:
i. Barley with Licorice, Violet, Maidenhair, Mallow seed
ii. Barley with Figs, Raisins and Licorice (as in Compound Barley Decoction)
10. Heat-type Asthma, Barley with Butterbur, Elecampane, Fennel root, Licorice, Raisins, Coltsfoot, Hyssop, Maidenhair, Aniseed (as in Anti-Asthmatic Syrup of D'Aquin)
11. To promote Breast Milk:
i. Barley with Fennel seed (Dioscorides)
ii. make a broth with Barley, Bran and Legumes, to which Fennel seed and root, Dill and Nigella can be added (Avicenna)
12. Threatened Miscarriage, Barley with Sesame seed, powdered and mixed with Honey (Ayurveda)
13. Arthritis, Barley with Guaiacum, Cinnamon, China root, Cinnamon
14. To fatten in Convalescence or chronic Illness, Barley with Chickpea, Rice, Almond, Poppy seed (as in Powder to Fatten of Mesue)
15. Hard swelling, beat Barley meal with Figs and apply

Major Formulas
Barley Water
Decoction to Cool
Pectoral Decoction (Augustana)
Decoction Against Strangury and Burning Urine
Decoction for Arthritis (Mynsichts)
Anti-Asthmatic Syrup (D'Aquin)
Syrup of Hyssop Compound (Mesue)
Powder to Fatten (Mesue)

Cautions:
1. Cold and windy; it is somewhat corrected after stir-frying.
2. Drying, so not suitable in Yin deficiency. It was said to be bad for Melancholic people for the same reason.

Main Preparations used:
Barley Water, Water Distilled from Barley in May when it has dew

1. Barley Water (Decoction of Barley):
i. Pearl Barley (2 oz.), Water (4 ½ pints); wash well, then boil for a short time in half a pint of water. Throw away that water and add the remaining (4 pints) of water and boil down to half. (London)
ii. Barley washed several times with hot water (3 oz.), Couch grass root (1 oz.), Spring Water (10 pounds). Boil to 8 pounds and strain. (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)
iii. Decorticated Barley, coarsely ground (4 oz.), Spring Water (32 pounds); boil a quarter of an hour, strain, add Licorice root (2 oz.) and boil down to two-thirds. (Pharmacopoeia Murceburgensis, 1815)

2. Decoction of Barley with Gum:
i. Barley (3 oz); boil 15 minutes, reject the water and add Boiling Water (4 pounds), boil to one half, adding towards the end Licorice (½ oz.), dissolve in the strained decoction Gum Arabic (1 ½ oz.). Dose: 1 glassful. (Geneva)

3. Compound Decoction of Barley:
i. Decoction of Barley (2 pints), Figs, sliced (2 oz.), Licorice (½ oz.), Raisins stoned (2 oz.), Water (1 pint). Boil to two pints, strain. (London)
ii. decorticated Barley (½ oz.), Water (3 lbs.), wash the Barley, boil to 2 pounds, adding towards the end: Ground Ivy (2 drams), Licorice, Red Poppy flower (1 ½ drams each), Strain. (Pharmacopoeia Hispana, 1798)

4. Acid Decoction of Barley:
i. Lemons sliced (5), Decoction of Barley (6 pounds); boil till reduced to two-thirds, strain, add Sugar (4 oz.). Mix.
ii. Pearl Barley (2 oz.), wash it, boil for a short while in half pound of water, reject this and boil again in Water (5 lbs.) to one-half. Add when strained Oxymel (2 oz.). Mix. (Pharmacopoeia medici practici universalis, Bruxelles, 1817)

5. Barley Sugar:
i. Barley (8 oz.), Spring Water (100 oz.); boil for an hour, strain, and add Sugar (16 oz.). Boil again till the threads which detaches itself from the spatula, breaks of itself; then pour onto an oiled slab and cut into pieces. (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)