WARNING: All medicines, drugs, plants, chemicals or medicial precedures below are for historical reference only. Many of these treatments are now known to be harmful and possibly fatal. Do not consume any plant, chemical, drug or otherwise without first consulting a licensed physician that practices medine in the appropriate field.
Felter's Materia Medica on Hordeum
HORDEUM
The decorticated seeds of Hordeum distichon, Linné (Nat. Ord. Graminacee). Native of central Asia; cultivated in all tropical and temperate climes. Common Name: Barley. Principal Constituents.Maltose, dextrin, fatty matter, starch and proteids. It contains no gliadin, as does wheat, hence no gluten can be obtained from it. After germination it yields diastase (maltine), a starch-digesting body. Preparation.Decoctum Hordei, Decoction of Barley (Barley Water). Dose, ad libitum. Action and Therapy.Outside of its food value in broths, barley is useful as a demulcent and drink for fever patients and those suffering from diarrheal complaints. Barley flour, made into a thin pap, is useful in infant feeding, and a decoction of barley provides a soothing injection for rectal inflammations and a medium for the conveyance of medicines into the bowels in dysentery. It is also a good gastric lenitive after acute poisoning by irritants.1
The decorticated seeds of Hordeum distichon, Linné (Nat. Ord. Graminacee). Native of central Asia; cultivated in all tropical and temperate climes. Common Name: Barley. Principal Constituents.Maltose, dextrin, fatty matter, starch and proteids. It contains no gliadin, as does wheat, hence no gluten can be obtained from it. After germination it yields diastase (maltine), a starch-digesting body. Preparation.Decoctum Hordei, Decoction of Barley (Barley Water). Dose, ad libitum. Action and Therapy.Outside of its food value in broths, barley is useful as a demulcent and drink for fever patients and those suffering from diarrheal complaints. Barley flour, made into a thin pap, is useful in infant feeding, and a decoction of barley provides a soothing injection for rectal inflammations and a medium for the conveyance of medicines into the bowels in dysentery. It is also a good gastric lenitive after acute poisoning by irritants.1
References
1) Felter, Harvey Wickes, 1922, The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Cincinnati, Ohio.