Become an Ayurvedic Digestive Health Coach: Class Starts Oct 10th

School of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

Become an Ayurvedic Digestive Health Coach: Class Starts Oct 10th

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AYURVEDIC FOODS

BARLEY

Health Benefits & Uses

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1. Ayurvedic Perspective

2. Compare: Similar foods and herbs

3. Indications / Benefits

4. Impact: On tongue, nerves, elimination, etc.

5. Comments and reviews

How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Recipes with Barley: Barley with Basil & Avocado

Barley is a cooling diuretic and ideal grain for Kapha. It's high insoluble fiber content effectively regulates blood sugar levels. Slower absorption of glucose from the intestines results in lower fasting levels and reducing spikes in blood sugar levels after a meal.

Barley (and many high fiber foods) increase the release of bile from the liver and gall bladder, aiding fat metabolism. Since bile is an oily substance, release of bile directly lowers triglycerrides and cholesterol in the blood. As an added bonus, the high fiber content holds your appetite longer, so you won't find yourself snacking on high calorie foods.

Barley soothes irritated, inflamed bowels. It's fiber has been shown to repair the intestinal lining of the gut.

It also 'liquefies' the blood due to the presence of alkylpyrazine, cleansing the blood of impurities. Barley is demulcent, i.e. slightly slimy, acting as a laxative.

About Barley

Barley has an ancient history, and was first cultivated in the Near East.

Buying & Preparation

Barley may be purchased as a dried grain similar to rice, puffed, or as a malt.

Recipes with Barley: Red Wine Barley Soup with Rosemary & Mushrooms

Cooking Barley

Cook the dried grain similarly to rice. It is often used as a thickener in soups and to provide a soft texture. Barley bread is enjoyed in many cultures such as in Scotland. Barley may be roasted first before cooking. Barley malt may be used as a sweetener or to make beer.

Roasted barley tea is popular in Korea and Japan. Served hot in winter and cold in summer. From wikipedia, "Consuming non-fermented barley-based beverages is an ancient practice spanning across the globe; barley water is a popular traditional soft drink in Britain and a similar drink, aguas frescas is frequently sold by street vendors in Mexico."Browse Recipes

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Is Barley Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Barley is a good fit for your body type. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

Take the Quiz

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

SERVING SIZE: 1/4 c

SPECIES: Hordeum vulgare

FAMILY: Poaceae

PREPARATION: BOILED

EAT IN: SPRING

FOR OCCASION: ON-THE-MEND

Biocharacteristics of Barley

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

INCREASES

Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas)

Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic.

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DRY

ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY

GOOEY

ABOUT GOOEY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY

EASY

ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY

LIQUEFIED

ABOUT LIQUEFIED BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Substances that thin fluids (lower viscosity of blood plasma). These may include blood thinners or mucolytic herbs.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIQUEFIED

CLEAR

ABOUT CLEAR BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR

COLD

ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD

LIGHT

ABOUT LIGHT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Lightness is identified by reduced weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?

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SWEET

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET

DOSHAS

The Three Doshas / Body Types

According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history.

The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded.

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PACIFIES	AGGRAVATES

HAS THE FOLLOWING

Subtaste:

Bland

BLAND

Bland means doesn't have much taste. In Chinese medicine, bland taste refers to afood without little macronutrients, such as cabbage, radish or bok choy.

SEE ALL 'BLAND' FOODS / HERBS

Tissue (dhatu):

Blood Plasma Lymph

BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH

Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph.

SEE ALL 'BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH' FOODS / HERBS

Affinity:
Kidney Bladder Urinary
Family:
Poaceae

HERBAL ACTIONS
(see all)

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Barley
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion:

Spleen Tonic

SPLEEN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens spleen function by improving strength of the blood. Spleen tonics Builds agni, brighten the person's appearances & firms up tissues.

SEE ALL 'SPLEEN-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Bowel Health:

High Fiber Laxative

HIGH-FIBER-LAXATIVE

A class of laxative that adds bulk and water to stools. The size of a stool stimulates peristalsis and the stool passes more easily through the colon. It is important to drink plenty of water when using high fiber laxatives, as they can be dehydrating.

SEE ALL 'HIGH-FIBER-LAXATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Cleanse & Detox:

Detoxicant

DETOXICANT

An herb that decongests or dislodges toxins from the body and the lymphatic, transforming or altering fluids to a more healthy state.

SEE ALL 'DETOXICANT' FOODS / HERBS

Energy Vitality:

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Skin Care & Beauty:

Demulcent

DEMULCENT

Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane.

SEE ALL 'DEMULCENT' FOODS / HERBS

Kidney & Urinary:

Diuretic

DIURETIC

Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.

SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Liver & Gallbladder:

Cholagogue

CHOLAGOGUE

Cholagogues stimulate the production & release of bile from the liver & gallbladder. This refreshes and cleanses these organs, as well as increases bile in the small intestines.

SEE ALL 'CHOLAGOGUE' FOODS / HERBS

Weight Loss:

Lowers Blood Sugar

LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR

An herb that lowers blood sugar.

SEE ALL 'LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Carbohydrate,

Inositol

INOSITOL

Inositol is an alcohol sugar made naturally in the human body from glucose. It is lipotropic (aiding fat metabilism in the liver). It affects a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, steroid, growth factors and water.

SEE ALL 'INOSITOL' FOODS / HERBS

, Melatonin,

Phytates

PHYTATES

Phytates prevent absorption of nutrients. They are commonly found in all seeds, including nuts, grains, and beans. Sprouting greatly reduces phytate content, as well as long, slow cooking with vinegar.

SEE ALL 'PHYTATES' FOODS / HERBS

Impact of Barley

In each clinical research trial below, students from the Joyful Belly School of Ayurveda ate the selected food for 3 days and reported the pharmacological effects. See other clinical research trials for diet & herbs at Joyful Belly.