Chinese pearl barley is rich in nutrients. It is a skincare product for many people. Many women who want to whiten their skin, remove dampness, and eliminate edema will think of drinking pearl barley soup. What are the other effects pearl barley has?
Chinese pearl barley is both food and medicine. It is rich in protein, fatty acids, vitamins B1, B2, and E, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. It also contains various phytochemical components that benefit the human body. Barley is listed as top grade in the traditional Chinese medicine classic Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica and is known as “the king of gramineae in the world.”
According to Chinese medicine, pearl barley removes dampness, lowers blood sugar, prevents cancer, and improves constipation. Dr. Zhang Weijun, a Chinese medicine practitioner who is the fifth-generation successor of Taiwan’s Huai Sheng Tang, comments that pearl barley’s most potent effect is relaxing muscles.
Pearl barley is very good for women
Barley is the best healing ingredient for women and has beauty benefits. It can inhibit the formation of tyrosinase in the human body, especially red barley with bran, which has the best inhibition effect on tyrosinase. The oil contained in barley can help the uterus contract and speed up the discharge of menstrual blood.
Long-term stress and anxiety will inhibit the function of the female reproductive system. Pearl barley can relax the muscles and emotions. When the emotions are relaxed, the reproductive system’s function can be strengthened, which can improve problems such as menstrual disorders, ovulation abnormalities, and infertility.
Pearl barley contains an oil that has anti-tumor effects and can prevent gynecological cancer. That is why many anticancer traditional Chinese herbal remedies contain barley. According to traditional Chinese medicine, many diseases are caused by environmental forces.
These forces are known as the six external evils: wind, cold, heat, dryness, dampness, and fire. Moisture is caused by dampness’s invasion into the body or the dysfunction of internal organs. This leads to impaired metabolism of water and fluids retained in the body, thus triggering conditions such as swelling, fatigue, and joint pain. Pearl barley helps eliminate moisture in the body, has diuretic effects, and can reduce swelling.
Dr. Zhang Weijun explains that from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are three most common types of dampness: environmental dampness, edema, and dampness within the body’s ligaments and muscles.
When the external environment is humid, moisture enters the human body, making the body heavy, the head heavy, and weak. The humidity is more pronounced in summer when it is hot and humid or when one lives for a long time in a damp place, such as near water or a poorly ventilated environment.
Examples of edema are puffy eyelids in the morning and swollen feet in the evening. This is caused by a spleen, stomach, or kidney qi deficiency, which prevents water from being metabolized properly.
In traditional Chinese medicine, qi is a subtle substance that is constantly moving and highly energetic inside the human body, such as the kidney, spleen, and stomach qi. Qi deficiency means the qi is insufficient or over-extracted. Zhang Weijun points out that pearl barley can reduce edema, but its power is slightly smaller and not as good as that of red beans and winter melon, which can reduce edema.
Pearl barley is good for treating dampness
This kind of dampness causes stiffness in the muscles, ligaments, and shoulders. The joints become stuck and not smooth. It may even cause pain and make it easy to flash the waist or sprain the neck. Pearl barley is excellent for treating dampness in the joints and muscles because it relaxes them.
Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica mentions that pearl barley can treat tight muscles and tendons to let them relax, reduce pain, and make one feel relaxed and soothing. If a person is often in a state of tension, anxiety, and irritability, his energy will be lost, and he will become tired quickly. Therefore, if you eat pearl barley regularly, your muscles can be moderately relaxed, and your body will be light. Instead, your energy can be accumulated and vitality enriched.
Pearl barley is cold and can clear away heat. It is also an anti-inflammatory painkiller for rheumatoid arthritis. The classic Chinese medical text The Essentials of the Golden Chamber mentions that ephedra, almonds, barley, and licorice decoction can treat rheumatism. The ancient book of Chinese medicine, Effective Prescriptions, also mentions that barley decoction can treat joint pain and numbness in the hands and feet.
Dr. Zhang Weijun reminds us that the barley soup mentioned in Effective Prescriptions includes barley and other Chinese medicinal ingredients that nourish blood and promote meridian circulation. Therefore, patients with rheumatoid arthritis should seek consultation from professional Chinese medicine practitioners and take appropriate medicine according to their constitution.
Pearl barley regulates the autonomic nervous system to prevent inflammation. Summer is hot, and the ultraviolet rays are strong. The skin shows symptoms such as dryness, redness, and itchiness. Zhang Weijun says that pearl barley is cold and can clear away heat. It can combat skin inflammation caused by ultraviolet rays and improve the symptoms of atopic dermatitis. Barley’s heat-clearing and dampness-removing effects can promote sweat excretion. In addition, its relaxing effect can improve the above symptoms.
Pearl barley’s effect of relaxing muscles can not only break the vicious cycle between stress and muscle tension, but also regulate the autonomic nervous system, improving the spirit and mood through muscle relaxation. When emotions and stress are relieved, the autonomic nervous system will also be relieved, and it can also regulate the immune function.
Four health-preserving family barley regimens have been passed down for five generations. Zhang Weijun’s family has practiced traditional Chinese medicine since the Qing Dynasty. With a history of more than 120 years, he shares the family’s traditional barley health regimen.
Iced mung bean and barley soup for summer
Ingredients
- Mung beans 100 g
- Barley 60 g
- Sugar
Steps
- Wash the mung beans and barley, soak in water for 2 hours, and drain.
- Add 600 ml of water to a pot, add the barley, and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat. Add the mung beans and cook for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- After the mung beans and barley are completely cooked, add sugar and put it in the refrigerator.
Red bean, barley, and lily bulb soup for winter
Ingredients
- Red beans 100 g
- Barley 50 g
- Lily bulbs 10 g
- Sugar
Steps
- Wash the red beans, barley, and lily bulbs, soak them in water for 2 hours, and drain.
- Add 600 ml of water to a pot and add the barley. Cook for 30 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the red beans and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the lily bulbs and cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add sugar to serve.
Both lily bulbs and barley have a soothing effect. In winter, when blood circulation is not smooth and muscles are stiff, eating a bowl of hot red bean, barley, and lily bulb sweet soup can accelerate blood circulation and make you feel good.
People who should not eat barley
Although barley has the above advantages, there are also situations where it is not suitable to eat more barley. Zhang Weijun discerns the following five types of people who should not eat barley.
- Barley can promote uterine contraction and easily cause miscarriage.
- Barley has a relaxing function. If people who are already weak eat barley, they will relax excessively, causing muscle weakness.
- There are two types of cramps. Heat cramps are like muscle inflammation. Eating more barley can relieve cramps for this type. But eating barley cannot relax the muscles for cold cramps, such as leg cramps caused by fan blowing or air conditioning at night.
- Barley can help people who are constipated due to a lack of dietary fiber. However, it is not suitable for people who are constipated due to weak stomachs and intestines that cannot move. Their condition will only get worse if they eat barley.
- People with thyroid insufficiency show a weak state, such as a hoarse voice, speaking without voice, edema, or feeling lethargic and weak all day long. Eating barley will only aggravate this condition. Some herbs mentioned above may sound unfamiliar, but many can be found in health food and Asian grocery stores.
Translated by Cecilia and edited by Amanda
Follow us on X, Facebook, or Pinterest
