Common Name: |
Pot Barley |
Other Names: |
Barley, Pearl 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 |