Barley

Health Benefits of Barley

Barley composes of albuminoids, starch, fat, beta-glucan, dietary fiber, ash, water, lignana, palmatic acid, salicylic acid and phosphoric acid. It also contains hypoxanthens, 4% proteins and the enzymes for digestion: carbohydrates and vitamins. Some scientists indicate the presence of arsenic in the barley grain. Just ½ cup of barley contains ½ the daily requirement for selenium in the diet and almost twenty-percent of the USRDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of Vitamin E. Both of these have been found to be powerful allies in the fight against cancer.

Processed barley (polished pearl barley) lacks most of hulled barley's (the husk loosely intact or “blown off”) healthful fiber minerals and thiamin, but it is an excellent source of starch and contains a small amount of protein and fiber, with low vitamin and mineral content. Pearl barley is used for culinary and medicinal purposes in Britain, and utilized commercially to make 'barley-flavored' drinks, or nutritious 'filler' in soups.

Health Benefits - Barley is prescribed for kidney ailments and loss of appetite. It prevents constipation, reduces the body’s production of cholesterol in the liver, and good for urinary infections. It also provides energy - being a good tonic for weakness after an illness, is nourishing for convalescents, stress or fatigue. It acts as blood purifier, facilitates proper blood clotting, increases proper elimination of wastes by the body, improves general circulation and cellular health, prevents tiny blood clots from forming (lignana).

Barley is beneficial for inflammation of the throat, oesophagus and digestive tract. Barley seeds contain soluble and insoluble types of fiber and may help lower cholesterol and prevent colon cancer. Barley seed products in the diet may also help improve blood sugar levels in diabetics, possibly due to fiber in barley seeds delaying the emptying of stomach and slowing down carbohydrate absorption from foods. Barley water is a soothing drink used to treat children suffering from diarrhoea and sickness.

Barley is a staple food in most Mideast countries but in Western countries, it is grown mainly for animal feed or malt extract.

Like most cereals, barley contains gluten, which must be avoided by people with coeliac disease.

General use
1 part barley to 15 parts water consumed after boiling. Can also be cooked with milk and honey added or with vegetables to make soups.

Cystitis and other urinary tract infections
Mix a handful of washed pot (not polished) barley with ½ liter water and 2 quartered lemons. Cover, boil and simmer for ½ hour. Strain and keep in refrigerator. Drink several glasses of this barley mixture a day.