Dampness brings a lot of trouble, and many people don't take it seriously, always brushing it off. Over time, it accumulates and leads to various ailments. This is where barley soup can make a grand entrance.
Barley Porridge
Barley enters the spleen and can strengthen the spleen to eliminate dampness. Barley tastes sweet and bland, and its diuretic effect promotes urination to drain dampness, much like clearing a waterway to remove water. Generally, it has a cool nature and, being a fruit, seed, or a heavy substance, it is classified as a sinking medicinal. Sinking action enables it to drain and promote urination.
Barley is cool in nature and has a sinking action, making it a commonly used herb for promoting urination to drain dampness. As stated in "Ben Cao Zheng": "Coix seed, sweet and bland in taste, slightly cool in nature, and slightly descending and draining in effect, thus it can remove dampness and promote urination." Compared to drying dampness, barley's characteristic is its draining effect and safety. Most importantly, while manifestations of dampness evil vary and the methods to address them differ, barley is more widely used for expelling and removing dampness.
Chinese Yam, Barley, and Gordon Euryale Seed Soup
Ingredients: 1 Chinese yam (about 300g), 50g barley, 40g Gordon Euryale seeds.
Method
Rinse the barley and Gordon Euryale seeds, then soak them in clean water for 2 hours. Place the soaked barley and Gordon Euryale seeds in a pot, add 1500ml of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Put on rubber gloves to peel the yam (the mucilage from the yam can cause skin itching), slice it into 3mm thick pieces, add to the pot, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
Winter Melon, Barley, and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: Winter melon, pork ribs, barley, salt, ginger, scallion.
Method
Rinse the pork ribs, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes to remove blood, then rinse under cold water and drain. Soak the barley in clean water for 15 minutes. Do not peel the winter melon, wash it clean, and cut it into pieces along with the skin. Slice the ginger into 2 pieces. Place the pork ribs in a soup pot, add enough water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the scum, add cooking wine and ginger, then reduce to low heat and simmer. After 2 hours, add the winter melon pieces and barley and cook for another 40 minutes. Season with salt and it's ready.
Raw and Roasted Barley, Ginkgo, and Pork Stomach Soup
Ingredients: 15g each of raw and roasted (i.e., stir-fried) barley, 8 ginkgo nuts, 1 sheet of dried bean curd skin, 500g pork stomach, 3 slices of ginger.
Method: Rinse the raw and roasted barley and ginkgo nuts; soak the dried bean curd skin until soft; wash the pork stomach, turn it inside out, scrub it several times with salt or raw starch, then rinse clean. Pour an appropriate amount of water into a clay pot, bring to a boil, add all ingredients, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for two hours. Add salt to taste before serving. This soup strengthens the spleen to stop diarrhea, clears heat and promotes urination, and refreshes the appetite.