Chinese barley

[Pam P]

My Chinese Medical Doctor gave me a pack of "Chinese Barley" and suggested I make it part of my daily menu. It's not the same as the pearl barley that's common to me. It's from a different plant: Job's Tears,or coix lacryma-jobi. I need to look at a Chinese food store or maybe Whole foods.

The doctor said to cook it in water and make a soup. He suggested slow cooking for 3 hours so it breaks down & is drinkable. He said it has lots of health benefits including fighting breast cancer.

I've made it plain and had it for a hot cereal, added black beans for protein, and also made it with broth & veggies & rice.

Here's one link I found on it:
http://www.squidoo.com/health-benefits-of-pearl-barley-

I don't recall reading about this on this site and hadn't heard about it before.

[ElaineM]

Oh sounds interesting Pam. I looked it up in a book I have that was written by Nan Lu O.M.D, L.A.c, a Chinese doctor in New York (One of my cousins see him occassionally.) On page 285 he writes that it helps to soften breast masses and helps to fight infections. It also heps to strengthen the digestive system and relieves excess water and dampness in the body. I think Dr. Lu has a website, but I don't have the url handy. The name of the book is A Woman's Guide to Healing from Breast Cancer.
My naturopathic physician/Chinese doctor/acupuncturist recommended that I eat dandelion greens or use dandelion root in liquid form for my sensitive skin, but I am having trouble finding dandelion greens in Hawaii, so I will use the liquid until I find the greens.

[Jackie07]

Library Journal had a good review on the book (TCM: A Woman's Guide to Healing from Breast Cancer):

From Library Journal

As a doctor trained in traditional Chinese medicine but practicing in a Western country, Lu has witnessed the benefits and limitations of these two different medical practices and believed they could be used to complement each other for the benefit of the patients, especially breast cancer patients. In this book, he systematically explains the principles and theories of traditional Chinese medicine and its successful application in combating mild to serious illnesses, particularly breast cancer. He uses analogies, graphics, and real patients' accounts to demonstrate how Qigong, acupuncture, and Chinese herbs can help women cope with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The whole presentation is clear and logical, and even the first ten chapters on the theoretical and historical aspect of Chinese medicine is fascinating and thought-provoking. Strongly recommended for consumer health collections.
-ALily Liu, Arkansas Children's Hosp. Medical Lib., Little Rock


Notice that the book does not claim to cure breast cancer. Rather, it provides ways to 'cope with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy'.

[Jackie07]

Here's a recipe for Chinese barley:

http://www.herbalshop.com/HerbalRecipe/recipe_slim.html

We usually simmer the barley in water for several hours (overnight?) before making the soup.

[ElaineM]

Here is the website for the book and for the author, Nan Lu.
http://breastcancer.com/aboutnanlu.html

[CLTann]

I have been taking Chinese barley as a supplement for the past five years. It tastes good and seems to be harmless. I also take Ganoderma pills which are said to have cancer treating quality. I am also on Curcumin as well as on Boniva, the bone density enhancer to counter the bone loss, a side effect of Femara.

Ann

[ElaineM]

I know Ganoderma as Reishi, which is a Japanese word. I posted something about Reishi and IBC breast cancer in the Inflammatory Breast Cancer section a couple months ago.

[Jackie07]

I know Ganoderma as 'Ling-Chih'(Miracle mushroom) in Chinese. The written form is identical to the Japanese one as many Japanese words are written in 'Kanchi' (Kan = Han = Chinese; chi = word)

Just watched Master Lu's 'sword dance'. Amazingly it blended well with the melody of 'Ave Maria' along with the big Taoism symbol of 'Yin' and 'Yang' on the wall. Imagine my Buddhist Mom practising the sword dance (which she'd learned 30+ years ago) with the music! :)

[ElaineM]

The Chinese barley sounds interesting. I might try it myself. I wonder if the Japanese Mugi (barley tea) cha is the same grain? Does anyone know? Mugi cha is famous in Japan for its health benefits. I can easily get Mugi Cha in Hawaii.

[Jackie07]

It is, Elaine, according to the information on Wikipedia :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roasted_barley_tea

Cha = Tea [In fact, the 'ancient' pronounciation of 'Cha' (Mandarin pronuncation)is closer to 'Tea' than to 'Cha' . According to the Encarta World English Dictionary - Tea ... Origin uncertain: probably via earlier Dutch [I]tee from, ultimately, Chinese (Amoy dialect) te.]

[Pam P]

Jackie or Elaine... Do you get the same health benefite - same amount of nutrient -- from drinking a tea as from eating the food? Or is it more because it's concentrated?

[Jackie07]

Pam,

It's hard to say. More nutrient can be lost during the cooking process. However, the soup probably provides extra benefit such as fiber and starch because you will eat the cooked barley.

There's a Chinese saying regarding medicine: "Supplementing with medicine is not as good as supplementing with food." A lot of the Chinese herbs are customed to be cooked with chicken soup or multigrain (such as barley) soup. My Father used to put strips of Ginseng into a bottle of Chinese Whisky and he would drink a shot during cold winter nights. [By the way, he's just turned 96]There's a famous recipe in Taiwan for 'Dang-quei Duck'. Again, it's a soup (cooked with the herb called 'Dang-quei' and a whole duck) though we are encouraged to eat the meat and the herb after we drink the liquid. Often street vendors could be found selling rice noodle soup cooked with Dang-quei duck. Late-night workers would stop by and eat a bowl of the noodle soup with a can of beer or a shot of whishky. Now these 'vendors' are available in the food court of shopping malls.

I drink a couple of cups of 'Yang-sheng' soup daily. It's cooked with (dried) dates, gochi and several different kinds of 'mild' ginseng. When my niece was here late spring, she used the same ingredients to cook a chicken soup and it taste pretty good. Turned out her Mother, my sister-in-law, had improvised it. If it's good for the body as medicine, it's good for the body as food!

[ElaineM]

Thanks Jackie. Yes. This is so interesting. Both a fresh package of Japanese mugi cha and the Chinese barley are going on this week's shopping list. I love mugi cha.
I suspected they might come from the same grain, but I wasn't sure, because I couldn't find my Japanese-Chinese dictionary. Japanese use kanji like Chinese do.
I thought if I look at the kanji I could probably figure it out. The pronounciation of words is often different, but the meanings are generally the same, because the Japanese use kanji characters. In other words Japanese might use the same root kanji for barley as the Chinese do, but the Japanese word is usually pronouced differently.
I hope you are doing well on the barley Pam. Let us know how it goes. If it helps you it might help others who have similar problems. Take good care of yourself.

[Jackie07]

'Kanji' = Han (Chinese - from the 'Han Dynasty') word. Japan sent 'exchange students' to China during the Tang Dynasty (618– 907 A.D.) and brought everything Chinese back to Japan. The traditional Japanese dress (kimono) is what the Chinese wore in that period of time. Same as the Korean traditional dress - modeled from another time period.

The traditional Chinese dress - 'Qi-pao' - most people know from the movies is the dress worn in the 20th Century and was modified from the Ching Dynasty (Manchu Dynast) court dress. The Manchu people conquered China (Ming Dynasty) more than 400 years ago and adopted everything Chinese (Han people) - the only trace of the Manchu tribe (also called 'Manchu' or 'Qi' people) culture is the 'Qi-pao' (Literally, Qi-robe; the high split was for horse-riding).

When the Western world knocked on the door of Japan (with canons and dynamite), the Japanese adapted quickly and devised their own 'alphabets' - that's why you see Kanji and the Japanese 'alphabets' in modern Japanese writing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji
Kanji are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana (ひらがな, 平仮名), katakana (カタカナ, 片仮名), Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin a...



When China was faced with the same delima of the 'Western invasion', she modeled after Japan and had almost completely depended on the translations from the Japanese for a long period of time. Many of the 'modern' Chinese words of 'Western expression' were actually used first by the Japanese...

Found some interesting information about mugicha:


Health Benefits of Barley Tea
Mugicha has been claimed to be beneficial to your blood. It seems to increase blood fluidity, and may also help cleanse impurities from the blood. At least the Japanese believe it's good for the blood!

Drinking Mugicha has also been linked to stress reduction, another good thing, by Chinese studies. In my case, drinking any kind of tea is always linked to stress reduction so I can buy this one!
.....
Of course roasted barley is caffeine-free, so for anyone looking for a hot or cold refreshing beverage without caffeine in it, this is a good one!

In my opinion, barley tea is definitely a great alternative to the sugary soft drinks on the market, and to the "sugar-free" versions which have other unpleasant chemicals in them. Barley tea is quite tasty, but pleasantly so. When you're looking for a beverage that's not just plain water but is remarkably refreshing, this is a great alternative!
Barley tea style drinks are popular around the world. For example, Horchata, one of the flavors of Aguas frescas originating in Mexico, may also be made from barley. And roasted barley is often used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute in America.

In Japan, Mugicha is most often served cold, like an iced tea. It's really a good accompaniment to Japanese food, just light enough not to dominate the flavor of the food. Also, since Japanese food is not usually very sweet, the slightly tangy flavor of the barley is perfect, much better than sweet lemonade or soda!
Barley Tea
Strictly speaking Barley Tea is not a "tea" at all, since all true teas are from the Camellia sinensis plant, and barley tea is, well, from the barley plant. I found a photo of barley growing in Scotland, my original homeland, so I just had to use this one even if the barley isn't quite ripe yet!


Source: www.squidoo.com/mugicha#module48939712 (http://www.squidoo.com/mugicha#module48939712)

[ElaineM]

Thanks Jackie.
I knew about the kanji and the food connections, but I didn't know about the kimono connection. Now that I think of it I have seen old pictures of Chinese people who were wearing clothes similiair to kimono. I lived in northern Japan. I have yukata which is kind of like a casual summer kimono or a garment to be worn at home. I have hapi coat and a quilted house jacket. I also have a Chinese robe I got from my grandmother.
If we want to eat the barley as a food and the enjoy the tea as a drink I think we should. By all means we should do it. We need all the help we can get to improve all aspects of our health.

[ElaineM]

Pam,
I finally got the barley. Thanks for telling us about it. Jackie, my Asian dictionaries and a Korean volunteer from a friend's non profit organization helped with the translations, so I could figure out which store sells it over here.
I just cooked some and tasted it. Delicious !! Boy 1/2 cup of barley sure makes alot of cooked barley !! I am going to eat some as a cereal with dried fruit or nuts and I am going to eat the rest like rice with protein and veggies. I also got some azuki beans and cooked those. I can even put some azuki beans in the barley. I bet that will be good too. Azuki beans are supposed to be good for breast health too. After asking some co workers from Japan I found a store where I could get some of the barley tea I like. Yumm Yumm !! I haven't had that in a long time. I usually drink green tea for lunch. I will have some barley tea today.
I hope you are doing just fine and making progress.
Take good care of yourself.

[Pam P]

Elaine - Glad you found the Chinese barley. I had made a big batch and got tired of eating it, but will make more in a few days. I have a Korean friend who said he'd bring me some barley tea; I haven't had it before. Pam

[ElaineM]

Hi Pam,
Yes. I see one can get tired of eating the barley all the time. I am planning to change off between barley, brown rice, multi grain pasta, oats, and other cereal.
Maybe I can eat the barley every other day to have variety and get all the nutrients I can from grains.
The barley tea is good cold or hot. I had some cold barley tea for lunch. If there is an Asian market near you it should be available. Once your Korean friend brings you some you can see the brand name on the box or bring the box to the Asian store and ask the clerk for help if you like it and want more. Things in packages made in Asian usually have pictures showing us how to prepare the food or beverage. The barley tea I have is in a bag. I just put it in water and let it stand for half an hour. No cooking neccessary. If I want it hot I can just add the bag to hot water.

[Jackie07]

Pam and Elaine,

In your berley soup, you can mix some raisins and/or walnuts. Add some honey if your like sweeter taste. I also sometimes stir in an egg while the soup is still boiling and then turn off the stove.

Dried dates, lotus seeds, and white tree ear ('silver ear') are also often cooked with the Chinese barley.

[ElaineM]

Thanks for the suggestions Jackie. I will try raisins and honey next. I always have raisins, walnuts and dried cranberries in my kitchen. I never thought about an egg, but it might make it like egg drop soup if I add an egg for protein. Honey or agave would sweeten the barley nicely too.
I added non sulphurized cut up dried apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and adzuki beans (also supposed to be good for breast health). I always eat yoghurt with hot cereal instead of milk too.
I can mix leftover barley with a little rice and eat it with protein and veggies for dinner.
I am happy, because there are alot of ways we can eat the barley.