Lemon Barley Water

A lot has been said about barley and its health benefits from ages. My mother failed to convince us, to drink but she had it regularly. Here, I am blogging it's benefits, drinking regularly and remembering my mother's advise. Most of us take our parents advise very lightly, probably because we all strictly follow the adage " ಹಿತ್ತಲ ಗಿಡ ಮದ್ದಲ್ಲ"

This is for all women out there who want to have healthy UT and to all pregnant ladies who are prone to UTI. You can google to get loads of information about barley water and their benefits.

Few lines from one of the website :

" Barley water is an ancient home remedy that was supposed to clear up the complexion and stop the formation of wrinkles. This solution is said to be good for someone whose digestive fire is low, as per ayurvedic concepts. It is very easy to assimilate and is known to nourish fat tissue, which in turn is essential for the development of healthy bone tissue. According to some scholars, barley is extremely nutritious and provides energy for the body, besides also being beneficial in pharyngitis and cough. It reduces the inflammation of the stomach (gastritis), expels toxins from the body, and is a good diuretic, i.e., it induces urination.


This solution is an excellent thirst quencher. It is given to sick people and to those who have lost their appetite. Barley water is a traditionally acclaimed drink, which nourishes the kidneys during times of stress. It is an integral part of all kidney cleansing programs. According to one of the treatises, a suspension prepared by boiling one part of barley in fifteen parts of water till the volume decreases to two-third of what it originally was, is useful in the treatment of at least a hundred diseases of the body. It is also used to treat cystitis, which is the inflammation of the urinary bladder.

Drinking barley water can help to prevent urinary tract infections during pregnancy. Regular consumption causes any foul smell in the urine or discomfort associated with urination to go away completely. Barley water has been used as a baby food during weaning, before starting off with barley mush. Considering the health benefits, barley is definitely a cereal that is a must in the diet of health conscious people. As they say 'Prevention is better than cure,' it would make perfect sense to incorporate this tasty food item in our day-to-day eating patterns

Here is how I make it :
 
Pearl Barley/Barley Akki : 1 cup
 
Soak for 15 mins and cook in cooker with 2 litres of water. When cooker cools down, strain the water and reserve water and barley separately.
 
Barley Drink (sweet):
Barley Water, lemon juice and sugar. Mix and drink
 
Barley Drink (Indianised, salty)
Barley Water, roasted jeera powder a pinch, salt, lemon juice. Mix and enjoy your drink. You may add few leaves of pudina for additional zing.
 
Alternatively, get creative to make your style drink using barley water. (Use Jaljeera powder or any store bought powder to make your drink)
 
You have cooked barley also as a by-product. You can make lemon rice, khichdi  or fry them as you like and enjoy it.
 
 
P.S:
If you are not pregnant , consider adding chinese barley and winter melon(boodukumbalakayi) and cook it in cooker. Scoop out melon cubes and use in sambar. Water can be used in making barley drink as given above.
Image Courtesy : google images