Barley Water for Asthma and…..

I recently did some research on Barley water, and found some good information.   This information is not easy to find, nor common so I thought I would share what I learned.   I was initially searching for Asthma remedies when I came across this.  But it would appear that Barley water is actually a "magic potion" of sorts.  Don't discard your cooked barley afterwards either, as the barnyard animals would love to take care of it for you.  This is just a compilation of different recipes and thoughts that i found on the matter.  I have not authored any of this, or claim any rights to the info.

I also found a great article on the difference between Hulled and Pearled Barley here:

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There is a booklet that is out of print, "Cookies for Dinner" by Faye Parker Reeves, and I have heard so many fantastic things from it. (I can no longer find a copy, but I spoke to the author today and it is currently being updated and a new version will be out soon.) My mom sent me this recipe out of it:

Faye’s method: 

 1½ t. to 1 T. barley 

 1 quart clean water, preferably distilled 

 After pouring off the cooked liquid, add 1 t. cream of tartar. Or add ¼ t. per cup 

when you drink it. 

Faye heats the water to almost boiling; pours it onto the barely; and lets it sit from 3 

to 24 hours. Then she pours off the liquid and drinks it throughout the day.

Ruth’s method: 

 Ruth cooks her barley like rice, adds a gallon of water, keeps it in the refrigerator so 

she has a week’s (or more) supply. Ruth drinks one cup of barley water with ¼ t. 

cream of tartar every morning and is now off her asthma medication. 

(Posted w/ permission from Faye.)

Home-made Barley Water

Barley water is a traditionally acclaimed drink which will support and nourish the kidneys in times of stress. It is an integral part of a kidney cleansing program, which will produce tremendous overall benefits.

You will need:

1/2 cup of whole barley

5 cups of water

1/4 of a Cinnamon stick

Grated Ginger

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

How to make:

Place the whole barley, water, the cinnamon stick, some grated ginger into a pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

After cooling, strain the mixture and finally add fresh lemon juice for extra flavour.

Drink between 1 and 3 cups daily

http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/ ... inger.html

Ginger and Lemon Barley Water

2 litres water

1 cup caster sugar

150 grams pearl barley, washed and drained

2 lemons

100 grams fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

Remove the peel from the lemons, being careful not to leave any pith on the peel. Once this is done, juice the lemons.

Place the water and sugar into a saucepan and on a gentle heat, keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel, ginger slices and pearl barley and allow to simmer for 30 minutes before removing from the heat.

Strain through muslin to remove the barley, lemon and ginger pieces and allow to cool.

When cold add the lemon juice - taste, and if necessary add more sugar if desired. Store in the fridge and serve over ice.

Lemon and orange barley water

I make my own barley water, a humble water with a simple history, probably English, and very refreshing on those fine summer days.

1 cup pearl barley (I would suggest Hulled instead)

2 litres filtered water

rind of 1 lemon

rind of 2 oranges

brown sugar to taste (about 2-4 tbsp)

juice of 4 lemons

juice of 4 oranges

Method

Put the barley in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water to remove dirt or dust. Place in a pot and cover with the filtered water. Bring to the boil then simmer on low, covered, for 40 minutes.

Strain, keeping the liquid and discarding the barley. While the liquid is still hot, add the lemon and orange rind and the sugar.

Stir well. Leave to cool, then stir in the lemon and orange juice.Strain, discarding the rind, and refrigerate. Makes 2 litres.

Lemon barley water 

It immediately conjures up the magical image of white-clothed tennis players sipping the refreshing cordial during the change of ends at Wimbledon. Time please …

Makes 1.35 litres

Takes 10 minutes to make, plus cooling

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Ingredients

2 organic unwaxed lemons

50g caster suger

125g pearl barley

1. Finely grate the zest from the lemons and place in a large glass bowl with caster sugar. Rinse pearl barley and add to the bowl with 1.2 litres boiling water. Stir well and leave to cool.

2. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and mix into the cooled barley water. Strain through a sieve and chill. Serve with lots of ice and the strawberry cream cheese sandwiches.

 I have tried barley water when suffering a severe asthma attack, and I can testify that it worked better and faster than an inhaler. (unsure who said this)

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FAQ:

* Does the water need to be stored in the fridge or is it safe on the counter? It is safe on the counter for the first 6 to 12 hours.

* How often should someone with breathing difficulties drink the water? As often as they want to. My sister drinks it every morning. After some friends learned about barley water, they don't drink anything else. It is food. You can't over dose on it. However, it may cause a cleanse and you may have symptoms for a while.

* What to do with all the barley you cook? My sister throws it away. My Chiropractor eats it. I used to save it in the freezer, and make beef barley soup. Maybe you can come up with another suggestion.

* Can you freeze the cooked barley? Yes, absolutely. I did freeze some, but I forgot to label it. My son threw it away. Thank you for the reminder. I do not drink it on a regular basis. So, I want to have some for emergencies, and having it in ice cubes would be the best way to do that.

Until Friday evening, I would have told you that the cream of tartar is very necessary. However, since then, 2 people have told me the barley water works wonders even without the cream of tartar.

I have never thought about sealing/bottling barley water. Yes, I think that would be great. Leave the barley in it. 

I made some rather strong barley water, put it into ice cubes, and planned to transfer them to a plastic bag. Before it got into the plastic bag, my son threw away the cubes from the tray. I guess I should try it again.

However, in an emergency, just pouring warm water on the barley, and drinking it will do something. My other sister throws a few kernels into a cup, pours hot water on it, waits 5 to 10 minutes, and drinks it. 

I just thought of another way to have this on hand, just in case of emergency mind you. Go to Harmon's and buy a bottle. It is expensive. But, one bottle would be enough to give us time to make a batch.

Be sure to get the raw barley. 

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Sooo, after reading this 2 plus days ago, I came home and soaked some barley overnight and have drank my barley water, cream of tartar mixture for 2 mornings now. I love it! No, I don't have major breathing problems. I am stuffed up all the time just to make life a little miserable. I can smell things again!! Thanks so much 

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In the recipe to make Barley Water, it calls for a pinch of salt. 

Leave it out. 

When cooking any grain, salt toughens the outer layers, and keeps the minerals from being released. If you want the taste of salt, add it after it is cooked. This rule goes for all grains, including rice.

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I have to say this stuff is great. I was having problems breathing all night and this morning was having a mild asthma attack (first one in over 3 years).X and XXX helped, they had some and both I and my husband drank it down and within minutes I could breathe again without feeling like my lungs would explode!!

Cream of tartar is  a very good source of Potassium 

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Most of the above info came from the following thread on a forum:

http://gods-wr.ath.cx/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1751#p6827.  

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome - Natural Remedy

Frozen Shoulder is the lay mans term for what is medically termed  "Adhesive Capulitis."  Most Dr's will say that they do not know what causes it, and that there is no known "cure".

My experience with this "disorder" started when I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain, unable to move my shoulder, arm, or even the slightest movements in my hand.   I had not had an "injury" so to speak with my arm, and had even been playing volleyball every week for the last several months.  So a week later when I finally went to the Dr. and received this diagnosis, I was not comforted to hear that a typical Frozen Shoulder lasts usually a minimum of 2 months and as long as 5 years.  I have known people personally that have had surgery for correcting this problem as well.  Whether or not that is a reliable fix, I am skeptical.

As I mentioned before, they don't know what causes it.   Honestly I think it is somewhat of a "copout" diagnoses that is given when everything else is ruled out.   No torn rotator cuff, no broken bones, etc.
I am not one who generally goes to a Dr. for advice, unless there is something beyond my ability to handle, and in this case it was the pain.  Once I got that under control, I was able to focus on fixing the arm myself.    When I DO go to a Dr., I use a Naturopathic Physician.

Through a weekly regimen of massage, stretching, and using Essential Oils, I was able to see a huge improvement within 2 weeks from starting the treatments.  Now 5 weeks later, I would say I am at about 98% of normal function in the arm.   There are still signs of weakness from literally not using it for several weeks, but the ability and range of motion are totally back.

Just a note, not all massage therapists are equal.   It is necessary to have a MT that is well trained, and knows how to perform deep tissue massage WITHOUT bruising your entire body.   Bruising, though sometimes a side effect, is not the best way to accomplish healing.   You will definitely feel it later, but it should not overshadow the original problem you went in for.    And a good MT will tell you to drink lots of water to flush toxins out of your body, as well as ice the areas that deep tissue massage was performed.  It is also important to listen to your body, and let your MT know if something is hurting more than is good, and if you think you need to stop.

Although my knowledge is really quite small about exactly how Essential Oils work and the science behind using them, I did look up some instructions on how to create blends for yourself, and I created a recipe that worked for me in helping with the inflammation and healing of my Frozen Shoulder.

It is important to ad the oils in the order they are listed:

Added in the following order:
1 oz. Fractionated Coconut oil (or fill a 10ml bottle 3/4 full with Fractionated Coconut oil)

Winter green - 3 drops
Peppermint - 2 drops

Basil -15 drops
Birch  -10 drops
Frankincense -8 drops
Lemongrass - 15 drops

White Fir - 12 drops

Lavender - 4 drops
Lemon - 4 drops

Now just to cover my @$&  I need to say that these statements have not be evaluated by the FDA and that this information is not intended to be used as medical advice as the author is not a physician.  This recipe has not been proven to treat, diagnose or cure any of the above mentioned ailments.  Blah blah blah, yadda yadda... :-)

Cayenne, the Wonder(ful) Pepper!

When you research the medical benefits of Cayenne one of the first things you will find is its amazing properties for healing.  Blood circulation specifically.  Knowing this, you can imagine my surprise when I found myself in a emergency situation with one of my goats and was told to use Cayenne to STOP the bleeding.    I was trimming the hooves on my Nubian/LaMancha Doe and I accidentally cut too much off of one hoof and struck a large vein.  She bled through several rags in a matter of minutes and I started to panic.  I called a friend, a lady who has a large herd and much more experience than I do and she knew immediately what to do.   She directed me to get a clean rag and cover it with powdered Cayenne (which I happened to have on hand because I feed it to my Chickens.)  I packed the rag up tightly against the hoof and wrapped it in sports wrap.  I was astounded that she never really bled through this "poultice" of sorts.  I left the wrap on for days and when I removed it, there was what looked like a large clot directly over the initial wound.  Cayenne actually regulated the blood pressure and started the blood coagulation immediately.  Now in a pinch, white flour can actually act similarly because it absorbs the blood and mimics a clot which is part of the function of the Cayenne-- mimicking a clot.   But Cayenne is actually naturally anti-bacterial so it will also help prevent infection at the site, and reduce swelling as well as pain.   Not only had the bleeding stopped, but the goat was walking on the affected hoof seemingly without flinching.  Going about her business as if nothing had happened.   To me this was nothing short of miraculous.

I also occasionally sprinkle Cayenne in my chickens food.  Especially during the winter, or the wet months.   It actually creates heat within their bodies with the increased circulation which helps to keep their immune systems up and prevent disease.  Chickens don't really have a sense of smell, and they DO have taste buds, but they are so far back in their mouths that by the time anything hits them, is probably too late to spit it back out.  So they don't really complain about about the "Mexican food" I serve up. :-)

And just so you know I practice what I preach, these methods work just as well on people as they do the barnyard critters.   My husband and I both will take a few drops of super hot cayenne extract by mouth when we have a cold or sinus infection.  It literally blows out the infection, clears out the mucous and sets your senses on fire!  I'd also like to clear up a bit of a misconception on hot peppers.  Many people are afraid to try them on an open wound because of the "burn" factor.  But I have found that in a situation where your body is already inflamed and aggravated Cayenne can actually be soothing to the touch.    I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but next time you get a paper cut, try it out and see what you think.  Sprinkle a little in a bandaid and slap it on your finger.  If you don't notice how fast you heal, you weren't paying attention.

I'm going to step out further on my every growing limb here and declare that Cayenne can even stop a heart attack in its tracks!   Famous herbalist, Dr. John Christopher, N.D.  sang the praises of Cayenne pepper and declared: "In 35 years of practice, and working with the people and teaching, I have never on house calls, lost one heart attach patient and the reason is, whenever I go in--if they are still breathing--I pour down them a cup of cayenne tea (a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of hot water), and within minutes they are up and around."   That is a pretty powerful statement, my friends.  Now of course I am not qualified to give you medical advice, but I think if i were in this type of situation, I would sure want somebody to give me some cayenne!

My husband even remembers when his little sister was badly burned on an iron, and their mom cut open a fresh Cayenne pepper and rubbed it directly over the burn.  The capsaicin prevents the blistering and stimulates healing.  Cayenne has numerous other uses including aiding digestion, boosting metabolism and helping with weightloss.  So I would encourage you to study up on it even more.  There is lots of information available about it online.

The hotness and intensity of peppers is measured in heat units, or Scoville Units and Cayenne usually falls in the 30,000-50,000 range, but you can find it in the 60,000-90,000 range if you want to increase your intake after a while.  It is not the heat alone that heals, as Cayenne is more beneficial than other hot peppers.  So give it a try, and tell me what you figure out! Here are some good options if you want to start taking it as a supplement  (Click image to see product details and purchase info):

         

Also for animals, like I said you can just get the really inexpensive stuff, its still potent enough to help. And here is a bulk bag of it:



Now just to cover my @$&  I need to say that these statements have not be evaulated by the FDA and that this information is not intended to be used as medical advice as the author is not a physician.  Cayenne has not been proven to treat, diagnose or cure any of the above mentioned ailments or diseases.  Blah blah blah, yadda yadda... :-)