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Hordei Fructus Germinatus
Barley sprout
麦芽 〔麥芽〕 mài yá
Alternate English names: malt
Alternate Chinese names: 大麦蘗 dà mài niè; 麦蘗 mài niè; 大麦毛 dà mài máo; 大麦芽 dà mài yá; 大麦糱 dà mài niè
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Hordeum vulgare L. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin in unofficial sources: Hordeum vulgare L.
Use: Medicinal
Category: Food-dispersing agents
Properties: Sweet; balanced.
Channel entry: Spleen, stomach, and liver channels.
Actions and indications:
- Disperses food and harmonizes the center: Food accumulation; indigestion.
- Terminates lactation: Breast milk accumulation causing breast distension and pain.
- Additional uses: In addition, mài yá courses the liver and resolves depression. It functions as a complementary medicinal in patterns of depressed liver qì or liver-spleen disharmony.
Dosage and method: Oral: 10–15g, up to 30–120g in decoctions. Use raw to disperse food. Use stir-fried to moderate its food-dispersing action and enhance its spleen-fortifying action.
Warnings: Unsuitable for use during lactation, unless it is being used to terminate lactation and thereby induce weaning.
Product description: This is a ridged fruit tapering to a point at both ends. It is 8–12 mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm in diameter. From the upper end spring yellowish-brown young shoots roughly 3 mm long, while from the lower end grow contorted fibrous roots, 0.2–2 cm long. The exterior is pale brown. The dorsum has five veins and is protected by an outer glume, and the ventral aspect bears a furrow and is covered by an inner glume.
Quality: Large, full fruits with shoots intact are best.
Production area: Most parts of China.
Etymology: Mài 麦 denotes grains such as dà mài 大麦, barley, and xiǎo mài 小麦, wheat. In this context, it refers to barley, as the alternate name 大麦芽 (dà mài yá) suggests. Yá 芽 and niè 糱 / 蘗 in the alternate names mean sprout
.