Barley malt refers to the dried mature sprouted fruit of Hordeum vulgare L., which is member in the family Gramineae. And other names include malted barley, malting barley, malt barley, Barley Sprout, Fructus Hordei Germinatus, Fructus Hordei Vulgaris Germinatus, Germinated Barley, Hordeum vulgare sprout, and so on. Medicinally the processing steps are to wash barley, soak them for 4 to 6 hours, fish out, keep them in appropriate temperature and humidity until sprouts grow to about 0.5cm, and dry in the sun or in low temperature. It is usually used raw, fried yellow, or stir-baked to brown.

Barley is an annual plant. Stalk it stout, glabrous, erect, and 50 to 100cm in height. Sheaths are loose and amplexicaul, and with large auricles on both side, 1 to 2mm long membranous ligule, and 9 to 20cm long and 6 to 20cm wide flat blades. Spica is 3 to 8cm (except awn) in length, 1.5cm in diameter, and with dense spikelets; each node has 3 developed spikelets, which are usually sessile and 1 to 1.5cm long (except awn). Caryopsis is with ventral longitudinal groove or invagination; apex is covered with pubescence, which is adhesive to lemma when ripe and hard to peel off. Flowering time is from March to April and the fruit time is from April to May.

BARLEY MALT BENEFITS 
Is barley malt good for you? Apparently its health benefits are enormous. To begin with, it is high in fiber and protein, which is one of the reasons why it is considered a healthy food. It is easy to be added into cereals and other fortified foods. More importantly most people can easily digest malt. But adding it slowly is preferable since it is rich in fiber. Then, malt contains vitamins and minerals that are important to health. According to lab reports, every 28.5 grams of it are with nearly 10% of recommended day intake of iron. It is also the ideal source of vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. And every 28.5 grams of it still contain 4 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein, but luckily they do not increase too much extra calories. 

As a matter of fact, the unsaturated fatty acid content in every 28.5 grams of malt is 3 grams, which provide only about 100 grams of calories. That's to say, the malt is an integral part of a healthy diet that is low in fat and you don't need to worry about the calorie thing. And since it contains no cholesterol but high fiber content, which is thus easy to make people feel full and suitable as a snack to resist hunger. Finally, there are many ways to use malt. It can be added to sauces but without affecting the original flavor. It is the ideal substitute for a lot of bakery flour and replacing part of the flour can add more nutrition in making bread, cookies, and more. Actually it is available in more forms nowadays, such as barley malt syrup, extract, powder, drink, tea, etc.

Barley Malt

SELECTED MALT BARLEY HERBAL REMEDIES
According to the Chinese Materia Medica, it is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature. And it goes to meridians of spleen and stomach. Main functions are helping digestion, increasing appetite, and delactation. Basic barley malt uses and indications include dyspepsia, diarrhea, abdominal fullness and distention, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, milk stasis, and breast distending pain. Recommended dosage is from 10 to 15 grams or even 30 to 120 grams in large doses in decoction, pills, and powder.

1. Hua Ji San from Bei Jing Shi Zhong Yi Cheng Fang Xuan Ji (The Anthology of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions in Beijing). It is combined with Shan Zha (Hawthorn Fruit), Shen Qu (Medicated Leaven), Ji Nei Jin (Chicken Gizzard's Lining), Bing Lang (Betel Nut), and Qian Niu Zi (semen pharbitidis) to treat pediatric indigestion, a lump in the abdomen due to dyspepsia, sallow yellow facial complexion, loss of appetite, and abdominal bloating.

2. Hua Zhi Tiao Zhong Tang from Zheng Zhi Zhun Sheng (The Level-line of Patterns and Treatment). It is formulated with Bai Zhu (Atractylodes), Ren Shen (Ginseng), Fu Ling (Poria), Chen Pi (Citrus Peel), etc. to cure indigestion fullness.

3. Xiao Gu Wan from Za Bing Yuan Liu Xi Zhu (Incisive light on the source of miscellaneous diseases). It is matched with Medicated Leaven, Wu Mei (Mume Fruit), and Pao Jiang (Prepared Dried Ginger) to treat failure of digesting food, feeling of stuffiness in chest, abdominal bloating and rib-side distention, inappetence, and sleepiness.