This product is made from the mature fruit of the annual grass plant barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) of the Poaceae family, which is sprouted and then dried. It is produced throughout the country. The barley grains are soaked in water and maintained at suitable temperature and humidity until the sprouts grow to about 0.5 cm, after which they are dried. It can be used raw or stir-fried.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet, neutral. Act on spleen, stomach and liver meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Promotes digestion and strengthens the stomach, terminates lactation, and relieves bloating.

bubble_chart Indications

1. is used for the pattern of dyspepsia related to rice, flour, potatoes, and taro. This product can promote the digestion of starchy foods. It can be used in combination with hawthorn fruit, Medicated Leaven, Chicken's Gizzard-Skin, etc. For treating infantile food stagnation, it is effective to decoct or grind this product alone for oral use. For treating spleen deficiency with reduced appetite and postprandial fullness, it can be used in combination with White Atractylodes Rhizome, Dried Tangerine Peel, etc.
2. It is used for terminating lactation and breast distending pain. It is effective to decoct 120g of raw Germinated Barley or fried Germinated Barley alone, or 60g each of raw and fried Germinated Barley for oral use.
3. Additionally, this product can also soothe the liver and relieve depression. It is used for hypochondriac pain and epigastric pain due to liver qi stagnation or liver-stomach disharmony, and can be used in combination with other liver-soothing and qi-regulating herbs.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bielu: "promoting digestion to harmonize the middle."
2. Bencao Gangmu: "digesting all kinds of grain and fruit food accumulation."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 10-15g, with a maximum dose of 30-120g. Raw germinated barley is primarily used for promoting digestion and strengthening the stomach, while the roasted form is often used for terminating lactation and relieving bloating.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Breastfeeding women should not use this.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains amylase, invertase, protein-decomposing enzymes, vitamin B, maltose, glucose, phospholipids, and trace amounts of malt alkaloids. The digestive enzymes and vitamin B in this product aid in digestion. The decoction of germinated barley promotes the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin. The amylase contained is not heat-resistant, and the efficacy of the decoction in digesting starch is only one-third that of the powdered form; after stir-frying to a yellow color, the potency is reduced by about half. The ergot-like compounds in raw germinated barley inhibit the secretion of lactation-promoting hormones. Oral administration of germinated barley extract has a blood sugar-lowering effect.