Malt, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is produced by germinating and drying the mature fruits of Hordeum vulgare L., a plant of the genus Hordeum in the Poaceae family. It has the effects of regulating qi and aiding digestion, strengthening the spleen and stimulating appetite, and reducing lactation and relieving distension. It is primarily used for undigested food stagnation, epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, spleen deficiency with poor appetite, stagnant breast milk, breast distension and pain, weaning in women, liver qi stagnation with costal pain, and liver-stomach qi pain.
Barley Malt
Malt, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is produced by germinating and drying the mature fruits of Hordeum vulgare L., a plant of the genus Hordeum in the Poaceae family. It has the effects of regulating qi and aiding digestion, strengthening the spleen and stimulating appetite, and reducing lactation and relieving distension. It is primarily used for undigested food stagnation, epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, spleen deficiency with poor appetite, stagnant breast milk, breast distension and pain, weaning in women, liver qi stagnation with costal pain, and liver-stomach qi pain.
Chinese Name : 麦芽
Latin Name : Hordei Fructus Germinatus
Aliases : Barley Malt, Wheat Malt, Barley Hairs, Barley Sprouts
Authentic Producing Area : Produced throughout the country.
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet in taste, neutral in nature; enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Promotes the flow of qi and aids digestion; strengthens the spleen and stimulates appetite; reduces lactation and relieves distension.
Indications
Used for undigested food stagnation, epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, spleen deficiency with poor appetite, stagnation of breast milk, breast distension and pain, weaning in women, liver qi stagnation with costal pain, and liver-stomach qi pain.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decocted, 10–15 g; high doses 30–120 g; or incorporated into pills or powders.
Precautions
1. *Shixing Bencao*: Prolonged consumption weakens the kidneys; should not be taken in large quantities. 2. *Tangye Bencao*: Cardamom, Amomum villosum, papaya, peony, schisandra, and black plum serve as its mediators. 3. *Bencao Jing Shu*: Not suitable for those without food stagnation or with spleen-stomach deficiency. 4. *Bencao Zheng*: Pregnant women should not take large doses. 5. *Yao Pin Hua Yi*: It must never be used by patients with phlegm-fire asthma or by pregnant women.
Chemical Constituents
Barley malt primarily contains α- and β-amylase, maltose, hordine, adenine, choline, protein, amino acids, vitamins B, D, and E, and cytochrome C, among other components.
Pharmacological Actions
The amylase in barley malt breaks down starch into maltose and dextrin; its decoction has a mild stimulating effect on the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin. An activator of pancreatic amylase, isolated from the decoction, also aids digestion. Since amylase is sensitive to high temperatures, roasting barley malt until charred or including it in decoctions will reduce its activity.Oral administration of malt tincture can lower blood glucose levels in domestic rabbits and healthy humans; its injectable solution can reduce blood glucose levels by 40% or more. Raw malt can dilate the mammary alveoli of female mice and increase milk fullness, but this effect is weakened after processing;The dual effects of malt—both suppressing and stimulating lactation—do not depend on whether it is used raw or roasted, but rather on differences in dosage: small doses stimulate lactation, while large doses suppress it. For example, to inhibit milk secretion (suppress lactation), the dosage should be 30 g or more; malt contains substances similar to bromocriptine, which can inhibit prolactin secretion. The pharmacological effects of hordeine are similar to those of ephedrine, and its components A and B also possess antifungal properties.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances*: “Digests undigested food, dispels cold qi, and relieves distension and fullness in the chest and abdomen.”
2. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Digests all food stagnation from grains, flour, and fruits.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
Treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis: Take the young roots of low-temperature-germinated barley (approximately 0.5 cm long), dry them, grind them into powder, and prepare a syrup for oral administration. Take 10 mL (containing 15 g of malt powder) three times daily after meals.Additionally, yeast or B-complex vitamin tablets may be used as appropriate. A typical treatment course lasts 30 days; continue treatment until cured, then complete one additional course. Out of 161 treated cases, 108 were effective and 53 were ineffective, yielding an efficacy rate of 67.1%. Among these, 56 cases of acute hepatitis showed effectiveness in 48 cases, and 105 cases of chronic hepatitis showed effectiveness in 60 cases.After taking the medication, symptoms such as liver pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, and low body temperature improved to varying degrees, with a particularly notable effect on alleviating loss of appetite. In most cases where the treatment was effective, liver enlargement decreased to varying degrees, and transaminase levels also decreased to varying degrees. A small number of patients experienced side effects such as dry mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, irritability, and diarrhea after taking the medication. Long-term efficacy requires further observation.
Related Compatibility
1. Barley Malt Combined with Hawthorn: Both herbs aid digestion and harmonize the stomach. Barley malt excels at strengthening the spleen, stimulating the appetite, aiding digestion, and harmonizing the middle burner; it is particularly effective at digesting food stagnation from rice, wheat, and various fruits. Hawthorn is superior at eliminating food stagnation and can resolve all types of food stagnation, especially that caused by greasy and meat-based foods.When used together, their ability to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion is enhanced. This combination is suitable for treating loss of appetite, indigestion, and epigastric and abdominal distension caused by the internal retention of food stagnation.
2. Barley Malt Combined with Atractylodes: Barley malt is sweet and neutral in nature, excelling at strengthening the spleen, stimulating the appetite, and promoting digestion; Atractylodes is sweet and warm, excelling at tonifying the middle, boosting qi, dispelling dampness, and strengthening the spleen. When used together, their effects in promoting digestion, resolving food stagnation, strengthening the spleen, and stimulating the appetite are enhanced. This combination is suitable for epigastric and abdominal distension, as well as poor appetite and loose stools, caused by spleen-stomach deficiency and food stagnation.
Medicinal Identification
1. Raw Barley Malt, Roasted Barley Malt, and Charred Barley Malt: Raw barley malt has a sweet and neutral nature; it is effective at aiding digestion and harmonizing the stomach, and can also soothe the liver and promote lactation. It is commonly used for spleen deficiency with poor appetite, stagnant breast milk, mastalgia, and conditions involving liver qi stagnation or disharmony between the liver and stomach. It is particularly suitable for cases where food stagnation has transformed into heat.Roasted barley malt has a slightly warm nature and a fragrant aroma; it excels at regulating qi, aiding digestion, weaning, and relieving distension. It is frequently used for undigested food stagnation and weaning in women. Charred barley malt has a sweet and slightly astringent taste with a slightly warm nature; it possesses superior efficacy in aiding digestion and resolving stagnation, and can also stop diarrhea. It is commonly used for food stagnation or diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency.
2. Barley Malt, Hawthorn, and Liushengqu: All three herbs can strengthen the stomach and aid digestion. When roasted and combined, they are known as the “Three Roasted Immortals” (Jiao San Xian), which enhances their ability to aid digestion and relieve food stagnation. They are commonly used to treat undigested food stagnation, epigastric distension, and loss of appetite.However, barley malt is particularly effective at digesting wheat-based foods; it also regulates liver qi and relieves stagnation, as well as reduces lactation and alleviates distension. It is frequently used for stagnation caused by wheat-based foods, blocked milk flow (when used raw), and to wean infants (when roasted).Hawthorn, on the other hand, excels at promoting digestion and resolving food stagnation; it can eliminate all types of food stagnation, particularly that caused by greasy and meaty foods. It also has the effects of regulating qi and dispersing blood stasis, and is used for stabbing pain in the chest and abdomen caused by blood stasis obstruction, as well as postpartum abdominal pain. Liushengqu is particularly effective at resolving grain-based food stagnation and has a mild effect of relieving exterior syndromes, making it especially suitable for cases of food stagnation complicated by an external pathogen.
Related Medicines
Spleen-Strengthening Pills (syrup, granules), Stomach-Strengthening and Digestion-Promoting Tablets, Pediatric Stagnation-Resolving Powder, Stomach-Restoring Capsules, Spleen-Strengthening and Vitality-Enhancing Pills.
Related Prescriptions
Xiaogan Pills (from *Ye’s Record of Proven Formulas*), Quye Pills (from *Formulas for Saving Lives*), Barley Sprout Decoction (from *Comprehensive Collection of Effective Formulas for Women*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
Barley Malt, Codonopsis, Poria, and Beef Tripe Decoction:
1. Indications: Strengthens the spleen, stimulates appetite, aids digestion, and relieves food stagnation. Indicated for spleen deficiency and weak stomach, loss of appetite, or difficulty digesting food. Symptoms include epigastric and abdominal distension, lack of appetite, loose stools, and fatigue.It may also be used as an adjunct treatment for conditions such as indigestion, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis—where the aforementioned symptoms are attributed to spleen deficiency with impaired transport and transformation functions.
2. Ingredients: 50 grams of beef tripe, 10 grams of raw barley malt, 50 grams each of Codonopsis pilosula, Chinese yam, and Poria cocos, 6 grams each of dried tangerine peel and star anise, and appropriate amounts of fresh ginger and red dates.
3. Preparation: Wash the raw barley malt, Codonopsis, Chinese yam, Poria, dried tangerine peel, star anise, pitted red dates, and ginger; soak the beef tripe thoroughly, wash, and slice. Place the tripe in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer over low heat for half an hour. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 2 hours. Season to taste before serving.
4. Usage: Serve as an accompaniment to meals.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Soak the barley in water, remove it, and place it in a basket. Cover with a rush mat and sprinkle water frequently. When the sprouts reach 3–5 mm in length, remove them and dry them in the sun.
Processing Methods
1. Raw Barley Sprouts: Simply take the barley sprouts and remove any impurities.
2. Roasted Barley Sprouts: Place the cleaned barley sprouts in a pan, heat over low heat, and roast until the surface turns yellow and occasional scorched spots appear; then remove and let cool.
3. Charred Barley Sprouts: Place the cleaned barley sprouts in a pan over medium heat and roast until a crackling sound is heard and the surface turns a scorched yellow; then remove and let cool.
4. Bran-Roasted Malt: First, sprinkle bran into the pan. When the bran begins to smoke, add the clean malt and roast over low heat until the surface turns yellow. Remove, sift out the bran, and let cool. Use 0.09 kg of bran for every 1 kg of malt.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container. Keep roasted malt, charred malt, and bran-roasted malt tightly sealed in a well-ventilated, dry place to protect against moisture and insect infestation.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. The powder of this product is灰白色. Starch granules are mostly round, with a diameter of 3–60 μm; the hilum is V-shaped or fissured. On the outer epidermis of the glume, long cells alternate with two short cells (sclereids and siliceous cells); the long cells have thick walls and are tightly and deeply undulated, while the short cells are round with sparse wall pores.Wheat awn non-glandular trichomes are slender and often fragmented; the walls of non-glandular trichomes on the glume epidermis are relatively thin, with a length of 80–230 μm; non-glandular trichomes on the scales are conical, with slightly thick walls, and a length of 30–110 μm.
2. Take 5 g of the powdered sample, add 30 mL of anhydrous ethanol, and subject to ultrasonic treatment for 40 minutes.filter; add 1.5 mL of 50% potassium hydroxide solution to the filtrate, heat and reflux for 15 minutes, cool in an ice bath for 5 minutes, and extract three times with petroleum ether (30–60 °C) by shaking, using 10 mL each time; combine the petroleum ether solutions, evaporate to dryness, and dissolve the residue in 1 mL of ethyl acetate to prepare the test solution.Separately, take 5 g of malt reference material and prepare a reference material solution using the same method.Test by thin-layer chromatography (General Chapter 0502): Pipette 2 μL of each of the two solutions and apply them separately in a band-like pattern onto the same silica gel G plate. Develop with a mobile phase of toluene–chloroform–ethyl acetate (10:10:2), remove the plate, air-dry, and then develop again with a mobile phase of toluene-chloroform-ethyl acetate (10:10:1) as the developing solvent; remove and air-dry; spray with a 15% nitric acid-ethanol solution; heat at 100°C until the spots become clearly visible; and examine under a UV lamp (365 nm).In the chromatogram of the test sample, fluorescent spots of the same color appear at positions corresponding to those in the chromatogram of the reference herbal material.
Properties of Crude Drugs
The achenes are slightly spindle-shaped with tapering ends, 8–15 mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm in diameter. The surface is pale yellow; the dorsal side is rounded and enclosed by the outer glume, with 5 veins, and the long awn at the apex has fallen off; the ventral side is enclosed by the inner glume and has 1 longitudinal groove.After removing the outer and inner glumes, a germ and radicle emerge from the base of the radicle. The germ is long-lanceolate, yellowish-white, and approximately 5 mm long; the radicle consists of several slender, curved filaments. The texture is hard; the fracture surface is white and powdery. It has a faint odor and a slightly sweet taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
1. Raw Malt: See the “Characteristics of the Medicinal Material” section.
2. Roasted Malt: Resembles malt; the surface is deep yellow or light brown, occasionally with scorched yellow spots; has a fragrant aroma.
3. Scorched Malt: Resembles malt; the surface is scorched yellow; has a burnt aroma.
4. Bran-Roasted Malt: Resembles malt; the surface is yellow; has the aroma of wheat bran.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Barley (Hordeum vulgare), a plant of the genus Hordeum in the family Poaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
Barley, a biennial herb. The culm is stout, smooth, glabrous, and erect, 50–100 cm tall. The leaf sheaths are loose and clasp the stem; there are large auricles on both sides; the ligule is membranous, 1–2 mm long; the leaf blade is flat, 9–20 cm long, and 6–20 mm wide.The spike is 3–8 cm long (excluding the awns) and approximately 1.5 cm in diameter. The spikelets are densely arranged, with three developed spikelets per node; the spikelets are typically sessile and 1–1.5 cm long (excluding the awns); the glumes are linear-lanceolate, slightly pubescent, and extend at the apex into awns 8–14 mm long;The outer glume is glabrous on the back, with 5 veins, and extends into an awn at the apex; the awn is 8–15 cm long, with fine spines along the edges, and the inner glume is equal in length to the outer glume. The caryopsis has a longitudinal groove or depression on the ventral surface and is pubescent at the apex; when mature, it adheres to the outer glume and is difficult to separate, although some cultivated varieties separate easily.Flowering occurs from March to April; fruiting occurs from April to May.
Distribution Area
Widely cultivated throughout China.