What is Barley – – Barley is a grain grown in India along with rabi crops and is part of the wheat family. Barley is a crop similar to wheat. A look at the benefits and importance of barley reveals that this crop has been an integral part of our diet since ancient times. Seeing the benefits of barley, the sages of our country used to take barley as their main food.
Although the consumption of barley has decreased today, once upon a time people preferred to eat barley over wheat. India, America, Russia and Germany are the countries where barley is cultivated the most. For a long time, Ayurveda has been recommending drinking barley water . It contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins and many other nutrients.
Since ancient times barley has been mainly used in religious work. Barley plant contains high level of medicinal properties from root to stem and grain. Barley is actually used a lot as animal feed. But if we think about our human body, barley has been used as a food for many years. Barley is also called a smart food.
Barley plant is an erect, herbaceous plant 60–150 cm tall. Its leaves are lanceolate, linear, few in number, straight, flat, 22-30 cm long, 12-15 mm wide. Its flower spikes (including spikes) are 20-30 cm long, 8-10 mm wide, flat. Its fruits are 9 mm long, with short pointed ends. It flourishes from December to April.
Barley is sweet, pungent, cold, bitter, short, slimy, curdled, expectorant, energizing, aphrodisiac, purulent, ulcerative; Relieves urinary problems.
Barley is good for ulcers, diabetes, blood billetta (bleeding from the ears and nose), mumps (throat disease), dermatosis (skin diseases), rhinitis, shortness of breath, cough, pandu or anemia, duodenum (irritable bowel syndrome) spleen disease. , Urticaria or Hemorrhoids and urinary diseases are curative. Barley is invigorating, aphrodisiac, raining and nourishing. It provides relief from many diseases.
Types of Barley – Barley Types
1) Flax Barley
This is a common type of barley, made by flattening barley seeds. It is used in pre-cooked food. It can be eaten hot or cold. It can be eaten instead of oat flakes.
2) Helm Barley
It is ground barley, which is used as flour. It can be made into roti like wheat bread. Apart from this, bread is also made from barley flour.
3) Greats Barley –
It is coarse barley flour. To prepare it, the top layer of barley seeds is removed.
4) Brain Barley:
This is a nutritious type of barley, which is cleaned only from the top. It can also be called a complete form of barley.
5) Pearl Barley :
It is said to be the most beautiful variety of barley. It looks like a shining pearl. Its seeds are uniform and white in color. It is mainly used in soups and salads.