Barley
Hordeum vulgare
Other names: Barley, ქერი (keri)
Edible plantPhoto credit: Cliff (Flickr)
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: None known. | None known as food (gluten-containing - coeliac caution).
Contraindications: Gluten/coeliac sensitivity. | Coeliac disease / gluten intolerance.
Interactions: None documented. | None significant. (Safety gate.)
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Not noted (food).
Evidence level
Reported in folk medicine sources; not clinically validated. Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.
Preparations
barley bread / barley water / flour poultice · grain
Part used: grain
Traditional use: digestive upset and bloody stool (barley bread compress to belly), expectorant, cooling/soothing base; calming, sleep, stomach pain(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
soaked + slow-cooked decoction · grain
Part used: grain
Traditional use: chronic GI disease (soothing)(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
Proposed mechanism: beta-glucan soluble fibre
barley 'coffee' · grain
Part used: grain
Traditional use: asthmatic attacks(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
honey-fermented barley water (EXCLUDED claim) · grain
Part used: grain
Traditional use: book claims 'completely cures hepatitis C' (with brewer's yeast) - rejected as fact(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
Dosage note (descriptive only): 3 L jar method
Associated conditions
Edibility
Edible parts: Staple grain. | Grain (staple food, soups, malt). No foraging lookalike concern (cultivated grain).
Toxic lookalike warning
Low (cultivated); avoid ergot-infected grain (historical hazard).
Nutritional notes
Complex carbohydrate, beta-glucan soluble fibre (cholesterol-lowering), B vitamins, minerals.
Healing traditions
Related plants
Sources (3)
- ნუნუ ღლიღვაშვილი-მარგიანი, "მედეადან დღემდე" (Nunu Ghlighvashvili-margiani, "From Medea to the present day")
- Mtsire Karabadini, Part II (Surmanidze, 1990) — Ramaz Surmanidze (1990)
- Karabadini (Khelaia ed., 2009) — Nani Khelaia (ed.) (2009)
Sourcing & resources
Affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.