"Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Barley is sweet in taste and neutral in nature... It dispels food stagnation, aids digestion, promotes appetite, relieves thirst, eliminates summer heat, and replenishes Qi to regulate the middle." Barley tea is renowned for its effects of aiding digestion, strengthening the spleen, clearing heat, and relieving greasiness, making it a common beverage in many restaurants and on office desks. However, barley tea is not suitable for everyone. For instance, individuals with a weak spleen and stomach may experience discomfort such as an upset stomach or even diarrhea after drinking it.
So, what exactly is "weakness of the spleen and stomach"? Chief Physician Li Xian from the Department of Liver, Gallbladder, Spleen, and Stomach Diseases at Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine explains that weakness of the spleen and stomach is caused by the spleen and stomach being damaged by various factors, leading to the stomach's inability to receive and digest food and the spleen's insufficient transportation and transformation. Weakness of the spleen and stomach includes two patterns: deficiency of spleen and stomach Qi, and deficiency of spleen and stomach Yang. Deficiency of spleen and stomach Qi is mainly caused by three factors: dietary imbalance, overexertion, and recovery from a serious illness. Symptoms include a sallow complexion, listlessness and fatigue, a thin body, undigested food in the stool, and a long course of the disease. The main symptoms of deficiency of spleen and stomach Yang include abdominal bloating, poor appetite, abdominal pain with aversion to cold, loose stools, and limb weakness.
Barley Tea
Since the digestion is poor, does that mean one should promote digestion and guide stagnation? The answer is "no." Promoting digestion and guiding stagnation is for excess conditions such as food stagnation in the intestines, with its prominent feature being abdominal pain and bloating after meals. Weakness of the spleen and stomach, however, is a deficiency condition, where symptoms are prominent before meals and alleviate after meals. Weakness of the spleen and stomach itself does not involve food stagnation in the intestines. If one blindly promotes digestion and guides stagnation, it will not only fail to alleviate the symptoms but will worsen the condition. This is why barley tea is not suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach.
For those with deficiency of spleen and stomach Qi, Xiangsha Liujunzi Wan (Tang), Shenqin Baishu San, etc., can be used under the guidance of a doctor. For deficiency of spleen and stomach Yang, Xiao Jianzhong Tang, Fuzi Lizhong Wan (Tang), etc., are often used. In daily life, it is important to keep the abdomen warm. Moxibustion can be applied at points such as Shenque (CV8), Zhongwan (CV12), Xiawan (CV10), and Zusanli (ST36). Regarding diet, individuals with deficiency of spleen and stomach Qi should eat foods such as red dates, Chinese yam, hyacinth beans, Gordon Euryale seeds, and lotus seeds. Those with deficiency of spleen and stomach Yang should eat pungent and hot foods like scallions, ginger, chives, garlic, and pepper, and pay attention to keeping warm. During the spring and autumn seasons when the temperature is unstable, it is also important to keep warm in the morning and evening to avoid catching a cold in the abdomen. Moderate exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, calisthenics, or Tai Chi can be done to enhance physical fitness.
barley tea