Herbal BOS
Barley
Hordeum Perlatum
Saturn
Fertility Herbe...Religious Herbe
Invocatory: Cronus, Demeter, Rgl
Also Called: pearl barley
LORE:
Similar to the benefits of several other northern European peoples, the Germans have a belief that dwarves are able to change their shape when not concealed by forests and woodlands. As an old custom once existed which connected barley to the lore of dwarves. The last Sheaf was believed to be a hiding place. Some years the hiding dwarf might be sacrificed with the scythe, other years the bundle of barley might be carried into the village in a ritualized parade.
Barley has been associated with the harvest and is held to be sacred to Demeter. According to Robert Graves in The White Goddess one of the old Pagan gods of Russia, Rgl, is also associated with barley. An ancient Greek cult on the Peloponnisos pennisula used both barley and human sacrifice in their rituals in honor of Cronus and the Barley Mother. In Bavaria barley figured in an animistic practice. Frazer in The Golden Bough informs us that the last barley of the harvest is fashioned along with corn into a figure of a woman which represents the spirit of the harvest, but not without humor.
Description---Pearl Barley is the grain without its skin; rounded and polished; this is the official variety. Taste and odour farinaceous. The Scotch, milled, or pot barley isthe grain with husks only partly removed. Patent Barley is the ground decorticated grain. Constituents---Pearl Barley contains about 80 per cent of starch and about 6 per cent of proteins, cellulose, etc.
Medicinal Action and Uses---Pearl Barley is used for the preparation of a decoction which is a nutritive and demulcent drink in febrile conditions and in catarrhal affections of the respiratory and urinary organs: barley water is used to dilute cows' milk for young infants, it prevents the formation of hard masses of curd in the stomach. Malt is produced from barley by a process of steeping and drying which develop a ferment 'diatase' needed for the production of alcoholic malt liquors, but in the form of Malt Extract it is largely used in medicine. Vinegar is an acid liquid produced by oxidation of fermented malt wort. Malt vinegar is the only vinegar that should be used medicinally.
Dosage and Preparation---Barley water. Pearl Barley washed 10 parts, water to 100 parts, boil for 20 minutes, strain. Dose, 1 to 4 oz.
Adulterants---Pearl Barley is sometimes treated with french chalk and starch to whiten it and increase the weight.
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