Malt – 1 lb (454 g)

Malt, known in Chinese as 麦芽 (Màiyá) and scientifically as Fructus Hordei Germinatus, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Malt carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Malt helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Malt provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Malt has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Malt, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Mai Nie, Barley Malt, and Barley Hair. It is obtained from the mature fruit of the Poaceae family plant Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) after germination and drying. It is produced throughout China. The preparation involves soaking clean barley in water for 3–4 hours, removing it, placing it in a draining container while keeping it moist until the sprout grows about 0.5 cm, then drying it in the sun or by low-temperature drying.

[Properties] Sweet in taste, neutral in nature. Enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

[Actions] Promotes qi movement and digestion, strengthens the spleen and stimulates the appetite, promotes lactation and relieves distention.

[Applications]
1. Used for food retention with indigestion, epigastric and abdominal distention, acid regurgitation and sour belching. Particularly effective for digesting retained rice and flour food. Commonly combined with charred hawthorn (Jiao Shan Zha) and charred medicated leaven (Jiao Shen Qu). If spleen deficiency with impaired transport and transformation coexists with food retention, it is combined with Codonopsis (Dang Shen), Atractylodes (Bai Zhu), and Chinese yam (Shan Yao). If dampness and food retention cause qi stagnation, add Magnolia bark (Hou Po) and radish seed (Lai Fu Zi). For food retention with cold congealing, add dry ginger (Gan Jiang) and costus root (Mu Xiang). For food retention with heat accumulation, add Gardenia (Shan Zhi) and Forsythia (Lian Qiao).
2. Used for infant indigestion of milk, vomiting of milk, and diarrhea; can be used alone or combined with hawthorn or chicken gizzard lining (Ji Nei Jin).
3. Used for breast distention and pain due to weaning or milk stasis; administered in large doses either as decoction or powder.
4. Used for hypochondriac pain due to liver qi stagnation or disharmony between liver and stomach, accompanied by belching, sighing, epigastric distention, and poor appetite; can be combined with Bupleurum (Chai Hu), Corydalis (Xuan Hu Suo), and turmeric (Yu Jin).

[Dosage and Administration] Oral use: decoction, 9–15 g; for promoting lactation and relieving distention, stir-fried dose 60 g; or used in pills and powders. Raw herb is mainly used for digestion and strengthening the stomach; stir-fried herb is mostly used for weaning and relieving distention.

[Cautions] Contraindicated during breastfeeding.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: Barley malt contains amylase, catalase, vitamins B, D, and E, fats, phospholipids, dextrin, maltose, glucose, and also contains barley alkaloids A and B, hordenine, gramine, and cytochrome C.
2. Pharmacological effects: The α- and β-amylases in malt digest starch by converting it into maltose or dextrin. Malt decoction appears to mildly promote secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, thus aiding digestion. Oral malt extract can reduce blood sugar and may be used in diabetes treatment. Malt has a bidirectional effect on lactation during breastfeeding: raw malt promotes lactation, while stir-fried malt inhibits it; small doses promote lactation, large doses suppress it.
3. Clinical reports: (1) Galactorrhea: raw malt 100–200 g decocted and taken in 3–4 divided doses. In 15 patients treated, 13 showed effectiveness. [Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1983, (12):24] (2) Superficial fungal infections: malt tincture applied externally twice daily, generally for about 4 weeks. In 80 cases treated (35 tinea manus and pedis, 30 tinea cruris, 15 tinea versicolor), the total effective rate was 86.2%. [Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, 1987, 7(4):210]