Pearl Barley

About 20 species of annual and perennial grasses belong to this genus, distributed in northern temperate regions and S America. Hordeum vulgare is found wild usually only as an escape from cultivation. Pliny referred to barley as the "oldest among human foods", a staple of bread- and beer-making. It is one of the hardiest grain crops, succeeding in parts of Lapland, Siberia, Alaska, and notably in Tibet, where it is the staple food. It was domesticated in the Middle East c.10,000 years ago. Grains were found in Ancient Egyptian and Swiss Lake remains (c.2000BCE). Barley was first grown in the USA in Massachusetts, in 1602. There are many cultigens, belonging to the two principle types (both included in H. vulgare); two-rowed barley (H. distichum) and six-rowed barley (H. polystichum). In addition, there are two main groups: Coeleste Group (hull-less barley), which sprouts more readily and is essential for making miso; and Cerinus-Coeleste Group (waxy hull-less barley), which is higher in soluble fiber and amylopectin (a kind of starch that rapidly converts to sugar). Medicinal uses of barley were featured in the Ebers papyri (c.1550BCE), in recipes for laxatives, expelling intestinal parasites, and poultices for burns and fractures. Barley was first mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine in the 16th century. Both decorticated ("pearl" barley) and germinated, or sprouted ("malted" barley) seeds are used. Barley has a low gluten content and is unsuitable for leavened bread or baking.

Barley comes in a variety of forms—flour, flakes, pot barley, and pearl barley. Research conducted in Canada, the United States, and Australia has shown that certain components of barley (most notably its soluble and insoluble fiber, tocotrienols, and beta-glucans) play important roles in reducing high cholesterol levels, most likely by inhibiting both the production and the absorption of cholesterol. In addition, some studies have shown that barley has a healing effect and can repair damage to the intestinal tracts of animals.

Annual grass with pale green, linear leaves, about 1cm (3/8in) wide and 20-30cm (8-12in) long. Flowers are produced in 2, 4, or 6 rows, in a cylindrical spike, 7-10cm (3-4in) long, in summer, followed by golden to purple or black seeds, usually covered in scale-like, membranous bract (hull).

Common Name:	Pearl Barley
Other Names:	Barley, Pot Barley, Scotch Barley
Botanical Name:	Hordeum vulgare syn. Hordeum distichon
Genus:	Hordeum
Family:	Poaceae
Native Location:	Middle East
Cultivation:	Well-drained soil in sun.
Propagation:	By seed sown in autumn or spring.
Harvest:	Seeds are collected in autumn and decorticated, flaked, ground into flour, or germinated for health food and malt extracts.
Height:	50-90cm (20-36in)
Width:	30cm (12in)
Hardiness:	Hardy
Parts Used:	Seeds (mai ya), Seedlings, Grain
Properties:	A sweet, warming herb that soothes irritated tissues, stimulates appetite, improves digestion, and supresses lactation. Varieties high in beta-glucan fiber may help lower serum cholesterol and reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
Medicinal Uses:	Internally for indigestion (especially in babies, or after eating cereals), Candida albicans infection, and in the management of diabetes. Also for excessive lactation, hepatitis, abdominal bloating (germinated seed); coughs, weak digestion (malt extract); poor appetite and digestion during convalescence (barley water). Not given to nursing mothers. To treat diarrhea, elevated cholesterol, inflammation of the stomach lining and inflammatory bowel disease.
Typical Dose:	A typical dose of barley is approximately 450mg of malt extract in capsule form.
Possible Side Effects:	No side effects are known when barley is taken in designated therapeutic doses.
Drug Interactions:	Taking barley with these drugs may increase the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar): Acarbose (Prandase, Precose) Acetohexamide Chlorpropamide (Diabinese, Novo-Propamide) Gliclazide (Diamicron, Novo-Gliclazide) Glimepiride (Amaryl) Glipizide (Glucotrol) Glipizide and Metformin (Metaglip) Gliquidone (Beglynor, Glurenorm) Glyburide (DiaBeta, Micronase) Glyburide and Metformin (Glucovance) Insulin (Humulin, Novolin R) Metformin (Glucophage, Riomet) Miglitol (Glyset) Nateglinide (Starlix) Pioglitazone (Actos) Repaglinide (GlucoNorm, Prandin) Rosiglitazone (Avandia) Rosiglitazone and Metformin (Avandamet) Tolazamide (Tolinase) Tolbutamide (Apo-Tolbutamide, Tol-Tab) Taking barley with these drugs may be harmful: All oral drugs. The fiber in barley accelerates gastrointestinal transit and may therefore reduce the absorption of some drugs.
Lab Test Alterations:	May decrease serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose concentrations. May cause false positive test results with ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), RIA (radioimmunoassay), and TLC (thin-layer chromatography) urine assays for a number of opiate drugs due to its constituent, hordenine.
Disease Effects:	May worsen celiac disease due to its gluten content.
Supplement Interactions:	May increase blood glucose-lowering effects and risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) when used with herbs and supplements that lower glucose levels, such as alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, Devil's Claw, Panax Ginseng, Psyllium.
Culinary Uses:	Barley flour is a staple food, known as tsampa in Tibet, and gofio in the Canary Islands. Pearl barley is cooked in soups and stews, and infused with lemon or orange as barley water.
Economic Uses:	Source of maltose (malt sugar, barley sugar), used as a natural sweetener. Seeds are germinated and kiln-dried to produce "wort" for brewing beer, distilling whisky, and making malt extracts; also roasted as an ingredient of grain coffees, and made into a Korean tea, poricha. Flaked barley is an ingredient of breakfast cereals, and is used in brewing (especially stout). Seedlings are juiced for food supplements. Malted barley flour is used in baked products. Fermented hull-less barley is an ingredient of miso (Japan).
Bibliography:	Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright © 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited. pg 236 The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide by George T. Grossberg, MD and Barry Fox, PhD Copyright ©2007 by Barry Fox, PhD. PP.58-59