Pearl barley, also known as Job’s tears, is also called medicinal corn and is reputed as the “King of Grass Family Plants in the World.” It is a traditional dual-purpose ingredient, rich in nutrients, and high in medicinal value.
In daily life, people often use it to cook delicious food, make porridge, soups, or sweet soups, which can not only fill the stomach but also have many health benefits. It can also be directly soaked in water for drinking, which can promote digestion, nourish the liver and kidneys, diuretic, invigorate the spleen and stomach, and relieve bloating.
So, what are the main benefits of pearl barley for humans? Let’s find out these five major benefits.
1. Weight Loss
Pearl barley belongs to coarse grains in food ingredients, containing rich coarse fiber, which can help enhance gastrointestinal motility, excrete waste accumulated in the body, and alleviate fat deposition in the body. It is a low-fat, low-calorie food that can help the body eliminate excess water and is a very good weight loss food that can be used instead of rice during weight loss.
2. Lowering Blood Lipids
Pearl barley contains Job’s tears polysaccharides, hydroxy unsaturated fatty acids, and dietary fiber, which are essential nutrients for regulating high blood lipids. It can help improve disorders of lipid metabolism, lower blood lipids and blood sugar, maintain normal insulin secretion, and is suitable for people with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.
3. Dispelling Dampness
In Chinese medicine theory, dampness is one of the six major pathogenic factors in the body, which can cause various symptoms. Therefore, whether adults or children, it is important to focus on dispelling dampness in daily life to maintain health. Pearl barley has a sweet and mild nature, with the effect of invigorating the spleen and dispelling dampness, effectively dispelling symptoms of excessive dampness in the body, whether it is damp-heat or cold-dampness.
4. Beauty and Skin Care
Pearl barley contains vitamin E, which has anti-aging effects, can alleviate cell aging, promote the excretion of toxins in the body, help the skin maintain a glossy and delicate state, effectively eliminate acne, pigmentation, and other skin problems, improve skin texture, and have the effect of beauty and skin care. Many moisturizing sweet soups will include pearl barley, such as lotus seed and pearl barley sweet soup.
5. Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
Eating pearl barley regularly can effectively prevent cardiovascular diseases. Eating a moderate amount of pearl barley every day can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, prevent high blood lipids, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and other cardiovascular diseases, and contribute to cardiovascular health.
Although pearl barley has many benefits, there are three types of people who are not suitable for consumption.
1. Women during menstruation or pregnancy
Pearl barley can cause the body to become cold and deficient. Women during menstruation and pregnant women are not suitable for consumption, as it may cause menstrual pain.
Additionally, pearl barley has diuretic effects and can lead to the excretion of a large amount of water. Pregnant women consuming it may reduce amniotic fluid, which is detrimental to the fetus. Therefore, it is advisable for pregnant women to consume it less during pregnancy, and people with a cold constitution should not consume it for an extended period.
2. People with low sweating or constipation
People with low sweating or chronic constipation are not suitable for consuming pearl barley, as it contains a lot of starch and fiber, which can exacerbate the condition.
3. People with weak digestion
People with weak digestion and poor digestive function should not consume pearl barley alone. The high viscosity of the carbohydrates in pearl barley can slow down gastrointestinal motility, leading to digestion disorders. If weak digestion individuals consume pearl barley, it is best to cook it with other ingredients and avoid drinking pearl barley water alone.
Finally, it should be noted that there are differences between the effects of soaking raw pearl barley and roasted pearl barley in water. The main effect of roasted pearl barley is to dispel dampness, while raw pearl barley tends to clear heat and pus. It is necessary to choose the appropriate method of cooking and preparing pearl barley according to individual needs to fully realize its value.
